My Little Pony-Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus
by Tang Ri Shan
Summary: Canterlot High is preparing to face Crystal Prep Academy in the Equestrian games, but when strange things start to happen around the school, the Rainbooms have to struggle to hide these things from their cross-town rivals, who are determined to win at any cost. Meanwhile, a mysterious third party has its own plans for the games, but what do they want? Or, who do they want?
1. Prologue

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Prologue:**

 **Somewhere in Canterlot city:**

It was a clear moonlight night, and the full moon hung in the darkened sky like an enormous milky-white jewel. Accompanying the moon were dozens and dozens of sparkling stars that made the night sky shimmer like glitter.

The silvery moon shone down on the skyscrapers of Canterlot city, which was all aglow with lights of its own, streetlights illuminating street corners, car lights chasing each other up and down the roads ahead of the vehicles that they belonged to, and the lights streaming through the windows of the various shops and businesses that were still open at this hour.

As the rays of the moon filtered down through the night sky, they seemed to seek out one building in particular. Though smaller than the skyscrapers that crowded around it, this building seemed to suck in the moon's rays like a vacuum, making the building itself glow softly in the pale light until it looked like it was made of pearl. The only other difference that could be seen about this particular building was that the moonlight was the only light that emanated from the building itself, as all other lights had been turned off, giving the appearance that the building was closed down and empty.

But it wasn't. Any of the moon's light that happened to find a small window on the ground level of the building would shine upon a small basement laboratory that was nearly packed full of electronic equipment, beakers and tubes, and everything that would make up a scientist's laboratory. Besides the light streaming in through the window, the only other light in the room came from a group of laptop computers that were set on desks at the opposite ends of the room.

At one of the computers, a young woman with pink skin and purple hair with teal streaks in a white lab coat was typing in a sequence of commands into the computer, which set one of the nearby electronic devices to whir and beep. The young woman did not look up, but kept her eyes glued to her computer screen, which was showing several bar and pie graphs made up of a multitude of various colors. As her eyes swept over each and every graph, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a miniature tape recorder. Pressing the record button, she spoke into the device in a clear voice.

 _"Audio research log of Starlight Glimmer, Crystal Prep Academy 9th grade student, October 31st, today my partners and I continue our observation of the energy signatures present in and around Canterlot City in our mission to discover the origination of the strange energy spikes and lights that have been present in the last few months."_

 _The girl paused, and then continued._

 _"As we enter our 60th day of observation with little or no reading changes occurring in the last two months, our resolve has begun to wear thin. Nonetheless, we remain vigilant with the comfort that our efforts will pay off one day. When the next energy spike occurs, we will finally be able to pinpoint these strange energies back to their source, and upon locating that source, we will_ …

"BLOOOOOOOW!" Starlight jumped as a loud voice yelled behind her.

"Razzle Dazzle! Glitz and Glam!

Turn it all up! It's a spectacle!"

Starlight's look of surprise faded into a frown of annoyance as she realized what the racket behind her was. "Lemon?" She asked, slowly spinning around in his chair.

Behind him, a teenage girl with pink skin and green hair was leaning back in her chair with her feet up on the desk, singing along (rather horribly) to the music that was blaring through her headphones.

"Razzle Dazzle! Glitz and Glam!

Turn it all up, it's a spectacle!" She sang

"Lemon!" Starlight exclaimed louder, but the teenage girl either didn't seem to hear her. In fact if anything her voice suddenly got louder.

"Gimmie more! Razzle Dazzle!

Glitter eyes, big surprise, lights, Camera! OOOOAAAOOOOAAAAAOOOAAOOAAOAAHHHH!" She threw back her head and howled, her mouth wide open.

Gnashing his teeth, Starlight stood up in her chair and screamed "LEMON ZEST!"

The girl stopped singing and opened her eyes. Tilting her head back she slid her headphones off her ears and flashed Sunburst an upside-down annoyed look. "What?" She snapped.

"You just ruined my log entry for this evening!" Starlight scolded as she sat back down in her own seat again, and then paused as her ears picked up the music still blaring from the earphones. "What are you listening to anyway?"

"Only the latest single released by Countess Coloratura" Lemon Zest's upside down frown melted into an upside down smile and she began nodding her head to the music again.

Starlight raised an eyebrow in clear confusion. "Countess _who_ -ra?"

Starlight rolled her eyes and swiveled her chair around until she was sitting facing Starlight. "Countess _Coloratu_ ra is only one of the biggest pop stars in the country! Seriously Starlight, what rock have you been buried under?" She chuckled at that last remark, then leaned back in her chair and sighed happily "She's my fave!" She admitted, sounding like a little kid in a candy store.

Starlight looked confused. "I thought you said Sapphire Shores was your 'fave'"

Lemon Zest snorted as she sat up. "Oh please! That was _sooooo_ last season" She scoffed, flipping her hand for some added measure. "Countess Coloratura is the new in!"

"Be that as it may, we're _supposed_ to be working" Starlight reminded her. "So could you _please_ keep it down, and _please_ try to take this seriously?"

Lemon Zest frowned, but she did stop the song and place her phone and earbuds into her pocket

"Take what seriously?" A third voice spoke up for the first time as a girl with blue skin and silvery-white hair glanced up from her own computer screen and narrowed her eyes at Starlight. "There's nothing serious about this Starlight"

"Of course there is, Sugarcoat!" Starlight argued. "Just because _you've_ always thought of this project as a joke doesn't mean we shouldn't at least _try_ to take it seriously!"

Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "Oh really? What was the purpose of this project again, to track the supposed mystical energy that has been spiking in and around Canterlot?" She accented the 'mystical' aspect with her fingers and Lemon Zest chuckled. "Be honest Starlight, that doesn't even _sound_ serious, it sounds like a joke."

"I know, I know" Starlight sighed, sitting back in her chair "But now that I've actually looked at the data that's been gathered so far, I'm starting to think we may have been on to something"

"Really?" Lemon Zest paused from spinning her chair in a circle to glance up at Starlight

"Huh, yeah right. If you ask me, Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer have been spending far to long in that lab of theirs" Sugarcoat scoffed.

Starlight felt her mouth curve down into a frown, but didn't say anything.

"Hey, isn't Twilight Sparkle an alumni?" Lemon asked.

"Of course" Starlight nodded at her. "According to Principle Cinch, she was the best this school had ever seen. Aced every test, top of every class, graduated with highest honors last year."

"Okay, I get it, she was a smart kid!" Lemon went back to spinning in her chair.

"And this is supposedly _her_ project we're doing, right?" Sugarcoat rolled her eyes again. "So why isn't she here watching graphs and charts that haven't changed for days on end while listening to you prattle about how awesome this project sounds when in fact it is completely useless?

"That was uncalled for, Sugarcoat" A soft but firm voice answered making all three teens glance towards the door to see a tall man with charcoal grey skin and jet black hair step out of the shadows by the door. Starlight gasped and Lemon Zest stopped spinning.

"Dean Sombra!" Sugarcoat rose from her chair, a suddenly fearful expression on his face. "W-w-we didn't hear you come in"

The gray-skinned man adjusted his black tie and stepped into the room, his eyes never leaving Sugarcoat's face. "I would prefer you not disrespect our graduated students or their work. Remember, Crystal Prep High has a reputation. All of our graduated students have gone to become successful people upon leaving us, and Twilight Sparkle is no exception."

The man paused and his gaze swept over all three girls. "In fact, if memory serves, she was hired the day _after_ her graduation occurred and started working the very next day. That girl is a credit to this school and you three should feel honored to be assisting her in _any_ way."

Sugarcoat sighed. "Yes Dean Sombra"

"But Dean Sombra" Starlight spoke up. "She wasn't alone in that department, was she?"

Dean Sombra's mouth curled up into a smile. "Correct, Starlight, she was not alone. We cannot forget the contributions made by her partner, Sunset Shimmer"

Sugarcoat snorted. "A suck up, that's all she was"

Starlight glared at her. "Hey, she was my friend!"

"If she was your friend, why did you stop hanging out with her?" Sugarcoat smirked as Starlight gasped.

"That's enough, Sugarcoat!" Dean Sombra stepped in between the girls. "Besides..." The edges of Dean Sombra's mouth curled upwards. "If you think this project is 'a joke', then why are you here?"

Sugarcoat's mouth dropped open as Starlight smirked triumphantly and Lemon Zest burst out laughing.

"Well Sugarcoat?" Dean Sombra pressed, waiting for an answer

"I-I need the grade sir" Sugarcoat admitted, then narrowed her eyes and spat. "Not everyone at CPA is as smart as _her"_ She aimed that last word at Starlight, whose smirk faded.

"Exactly" Dean Sombra placed a hand on Starlight's shoulder. "Starlight Glimmer is one of our most talented students, and if she says that this project should be taken seriously, than you should heed her"

"Yes sir. I'm sorry" Sugarcoat said as she sat down at her desk again, not sounding sorry at all.

Rather than call out Sugarcoat's lack of emotion, Starlight turned to look up at the dean. "What brings you down here this late, Dean Sombra?" She asked.

The man removed his hand and glanced down at her. "I thought I heard a racket coming from down here. It sounded like someone was yelling. Do you know what that noise was?" He asked.

"That wasn't yelling sir. That was just Lemon Zest doing her Countess Colo- _retch_ -ura impression". Sugarcoat spoke up from her corner, causing Starlight to chuckle.

"Hey!" Lemon Zest exclaimed, bringing her chair to a stop and rising out of it, wobbling dizzily on her feet.

"She has a point there, Lemon." Starlight added, causing the green-haired girl to glower at her. "You're not exactly the best singer around"

"Ha Ha Ha! Very….funny" Lemon Zest's glare melted and her tone dampened as her eyes drifted down to the screen of Starlight's computer, and her eyes widened. "Uh Starlight? What's up with your computer?" She cried out, pointing to the screen, which showed the bar graphs and pie charts all suddenly rising to maximum possible measurements.

Starlight whipped around and Sugarcoat glanced up just as a shrill beeping began ringing from the computer. Starlight's face lit up. "A massive energy reading! Just like the other spikes mentioned in Sunset's data. I knew it! I knew they were on to something!" She exclaimed as she quickly took her seat.

Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest exchanged a bewildered glance, then glanced up as Dean Sombra cleared his throat. His eyes narrowed as he stared at them "Well, what are you waiting for?" He barked. Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest quickly turned back to their computers and began rapidly typing out commands.

"Launching signature isolation program now!" Sugarcoat announced.

"I'm ready at my end!" Lemon Zest replied a few seconds later, pulling up a satellite map of Canterlot City.

"Come on, come on. Just stay like that for a few more minutes" Sunburst urged under her breath as his screen was filled with a series of waving multicolored lines surrounding a spinning wheel.

Then Sugarcoat's computer beeped twice and a line of code appeared on the screen. "Got it! Energy signature captured! Input the following code: 40.18-52 and 12.19-140!" Sugarcoat read out the code, then whipped around at Lemon Zest's fingers flew over her keypad. A few seconds later, her computer beeped.

"I've got a lock! Following the signal now!" Lemon Zest exclaimed as the map on her screen began to zoom into a section on the outskirts of Canterlot City.

"Well, it looks like _someone_ owes _someone_ an apology" Starlight smirked at Sugarcoat

"Don't get ahead of yourself. We haven't confirmed anything yet" Sugarcoat retorted.

"Just admit it. _I_ was right and _you_ were wrong"

Sugarcoat's frown deepened "I'm not admitting anything until I see...!"

"Girls!" Dean Sombra stepped in between the two girls, who were almost nose to nose with each other. "Do not start this again, I mean it!"

"Sorry" Starlight and Sugarcoat muttered unanimously, each staring coldly at the other.

"WOAH DUDE!"Lemon Zest suddenly yelled, making both girls turn towards her to find her staring at her screen with a look a sheer astonishment.

"What is it?" Starlight rushed to the girl's side, and her eyes widened. "Woah!" She gasped as Sugarcoat and Dean Sombra crowded in to look. "What _are_ those?"

"They look like…people" Sombra answered.

He was right, kind of. On the screen was an image of three winged girls in what appeared to be an aerial battle. Two of them were surrounded by a rainbow of light which made their faces impossible to identify, but the third girl, the one the other two were attacking, was cowering behind a wall of green energy.

"When was the last time you saw people do that?" Sugarcoat asked aloud. But no one answered her. Then, as they watched, red and purple rays of light shot out from the first two girls, there was a flash of blinding white light and the image suddenly faded.

"Hey!" Lemon Zest leaned forward and tapped a few keys, but nothing happened. "What happened?"

Starlight glanced over at her computer, but all the graphs had dulled. "We lost the signal" She said grimly.

"No matter. You were able to capture it at least" Sombra straightened up. "Do we know where the signal came from?"

"Hang on" Lemon Zest squinted at her screen. She smiled and looked up. "Yep, GPS coordination pinpoints the source at Canterlot High School." Her face frowned. "Hey, isn't that the school we're playing against?"

"Yes, for the Equestrian Games" Sugarcoat's eyes narrowed. "Rather ironic that we finally get a signature of magical energy and it happens to originate from one of our biggest rival schools"

"Indeed" Sombra stroked his chin. Regardless, I think Principle Cinch will want to hear about this. Compile all the data you have and be ready to present to her on Monday, alright?"

"Monday?" Starlight yelped. "That soon?"

"The Equestrian Games is only a few days away" Dean Sombra smiled down at her. "If Crystal Prep is going to be facing 'magic' in the games, then we need to learn all we can about this 'magic' so we can be ready to overcome it." His eyes narrowed as he gazed at each of the three girls. "Can I count on the three of you to prepare us?"

"Yes Dean Sombra" the three girls nodded.

Dean Sombra nodded curtly. "Then I will leave you to your work." With that, he turned and strode out the door, closing it behind him. As he walked down the darkened corridors, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number.

"It's me" He said after a minute. "We've just had a new sighting, three new potentials" His face broke into a smile at the reaction of the person on the other end. "Yes, my students have traced the signal to Canterlot High, the same as last time."

Dean Sombra chuckled at the other person's remark. "I know, this is a great day for the organization." He paused near the main doors of the building "Yes I will tell Principle Cinch first thing tomorrow." Another pause "I agree. The time for waiting is over" Dean Sombra pushed open the doors with one hand and strode out into the night. As he did, he said one final phrase into his phone "Project Tantabus is Go".

* * *

 **And Cut.**

 **Well, I told you I'd get a sequel out, and now you've got one!**

 **I'm throwing the prologue out now to give you a sense of what's coming up, but I'm still finalizing the plot-line so it may be some time before I start uploading chapters. There are several spoilers in this prologue, see if you can find them!**

 **As I've mentioned before, I enjoyed the third Equestria Girls movie, but I one thing I did not enjoy was the name. 'The Friendship Games', what kind of name is that? It doesn't really scream serious competition, which is what we ended up with in this movie. I changed the name to 'Equestrian Games' for a specific reason. Think anyone can figure out what that is?**

 **READ AND REVIEW! Seriously, the more reviews I get the faster a new chapter might come up!**

 **Until next time!**


	2. Intro Song

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Intro Song**

( **Rainbooms** )

"Be-ware-Be-ware

it's coming for all of us

Be-ware-Be-ware

( **Sunset Shimmer)**

Beware the Tantabus!

Born from a wicked spark,

A heart so black a soul so dark

It seeks to make you fall!

(So-Oh-So-Low!)

It lives inside the mind of us all

(Oh-Oh-Oh-No!)

 **(All Rainbooms)**

Feeding on fear and desperation

Loving hate and our frustration

Spreading misery and pain

Is this demon's evil game

Feeding on fear and desperation

Loving hate and our frustration

Spreading misery and pain

Is this demon's evil game

Be-ware-Be-ware (Oh-Oh!)

It's inside all of us

Be-ware-Be-ware

Beware the Tantabus!

 **(Sunset Shimmer)**

You know you shouldn't heed its words

(Oh-oh-oh-no!)

The most painful voice you've ever heard

(So-oh-so-low!)

Yet many cannot drive it away

(Oh-oh-oh-no!)

They keep it to their dying day

(Oh-Oh-No-oh!)

 **(All Rainbooms)**

Feeding on fear and desperation

Loving hate and our frustration

Spreading misery and pain

Is this demon's evil game

Feeding on fear and desperation

Loving hate and our frustration

Spreading misery and pain

Is this demon's evil game

Be-ware-Be-ware (Oh-Oh)

It's inside all of us!

Be-ware-Be-ware (Oh-Oh)

Beware the Tantabus!

Be-ware-Be-ware (Oh-Oh)

It's inside all of us

Beware-beware, beware the...

 **(Sunset Shimmer)**

Tan-ta-bus!

(Evil laughter follows)

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **I'm trying to follow the format of an Equestria girls movie with this story, and about this time there is usually a song being played as the opening credits are being announced.**

 **This song follows the rhythm of 'Under Our Spell', sung by the Dazzlings in Rainbow Rocks. This is personally my favorite Dazzling song, but I particularly liked the rhythm so much that I decided to use it again for my own intro. Let me know what you think!**

 **As with the prologue, there is a major spoiler about the story in this song. I'm not telling, so see if you can find out what it is.**

 **Until Next Time!**


	3. Chapter 1

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Ch 1**

A warm breeze blew across the buildings of Canterlot, carrying the scent of grass and the chirping of birds to anyone who happened to be outside on this fine day. Though it clashed sometimes with the scent of car exhaust and the blaring of horns, the scents and sounds of summer seemed to always rise above any unwanted distractions as the breeze carried it through town.

One such breeze swirled through the air towards a certain building near the outskirts of the city, and wrapped like a transparent ribbon around a large white statue of a rearing horse, before swirling around the bodies, and through the hair, of six girls that were sprawled at the feet of the statue.

"Mmm" One of the girls, with pink hair and pale yellow skin, tilted her head back to enjoy the breeze more. "That feels good"

"Ya can say that again Fluttershy" a yellow-haired girl added in a thick country accent. "A nice gentle...HEY!" The girl suddenly gasped as the wind playfully ripped the girls' brown stetson hat right off her head. "Gimmie back ma hat!" She demanded, jumping up in a frantic effort to catch her windblown hat.

The others burst out laughing as they watched the girl chase her hat across the yard. "Wind one, Applejack none!" A rainbow-haired girl chuckled as she lay on her back at the edge of the red-and-white checkered cloth the girls were all sitting on.

"This ain't funny, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack snapped, trying again to reach her hat, which danced on the air just out of reach.

"It is to me!" Rainbow Dash replied, laughing again as she watched her friend struggle.

"Maybe the wind is trying to tell you something, darling!" An ivory-skinned girl called after her, shielding her freshly-painted nails from the wind. "Maybe it thinks you need a proper makeover"

"I don't know Rarity" A girl with bubblegum-pink poofy hair argued from the top of the statue's base. "I think it just wants to have fun!"

The sixth girl paused from feeling the wind flow through her red-and-yellow hair and glanced up at the pink girl. "How do you figure that, Pinkie Pie?"

"Well, think about it, Sunset" The girl explained happily. "The wind just blows and blows all day long, it never stops and it never takes a break, so it has to find some way to enjoy what it does, that's why it likes to tease people" Pinkie gestured to Applejack's efforts to catch her hat as an example.

Sunset Shimmer arched an eyebrow at her friend, but smiled anyway as she felt another warm breeze wrap itself around her like a soothing veil. She leaned back against the cold stone and watched Applejack try again to catch her hat which appeared to be literally dancing on the air just above her. _Wait a minute_ Sunset felt her smile fade to a frown. "Uh, does the wind normally play with people for this long?" She asked aloud.

"Don't you know?" Fluttershy twisted around to look at Sunset. "Weren't you saying the other day that ponies in Equestria can control the elements? Pegasi can control the wind and the rain, Unicorns lower the sun and moon, and Earth Ponies can command the soil much better than we can?"

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "That's back in Equestria Fluttershy, here I can barely make a breeze, let alone control the weather."

"Still, it must be nice to be a control freak" Pinkie said from the top of the statue.

"What did you say?" Sunset gasped, glancing up at Pinkie.

"Woah Sunset" Rainbow Dash looked up from her phone. "Pinkie was just saying that since ponies in Equestria are able to control the elements in their world, that you would probably have a better understanding of them than we do"

"Rainbow Dash is right." Applejack said as she trotted back to them, her hat under her arm. "Pinkie didn't mean no harm, and Ah got mah hat back, so no problem"

Sunset nodded, but she frowned. It sounded to her like Pinkie had been referring to something completely different.

"YEOW!" Pinkie suddenly yelped with pain and bounded off the statue.

"Pinkie, what's wrong?" Rarity exclaimed as they watched the girl wave her hands around like they were on fire.

"The statue!" Pinkie whimpered her face now a mask of pain. "It...it _burned_ me!" She held out her hands, which were now blackened and horribly blistered.

All the girls gasped in horror. "How in the world did _that_ happen?" Rainbow Dash asked as they all gathered around their injured friend.

"Do you think it was...magic?" Fluttershy asked timidly. All the girls then glanced at Sunset, whose eyes widened under the sudden scrutiny.

"W-why are you all looking at _me_?" Sunset asked.

"Well duh, _you're_ the magic expert here remember?" Rainbow Dash reminded her. "How'd this happen?"

"Just because I'm really a unicorn doesn't mean I'm an expert in magic" Sunset argued then her face fell. "Besides, I still don't know how magic works in _this_ world yet"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! It hurts! It hurts!" Pinkie whimpered, waving her burnt hands in the air. Applejack knelt beside Pinkie, wrapping each of the girl's hands in a cloth bandage.

"I thought you and your double had figured it out by now!" Rarity exclaimed, looking astonished. "What _have_ you been doing all those times at their lab if you weren't figuring out how magic works?"

"It's not that we're not trying!" Sunset said, "It's just that…we don't really have much to go on! Right now we've been using Imitae and the Sirens mostly, but they no longer have magic anymore, so it's difficult to gather any hard data" Sunset replied.

"But what about the Star Stones?" Applejack asked. "Ya know how they work, don't ya?"

"Yes we do, and we've been analyzing them too, but their powers are being...uncooperative" Sunset admitted.

"Uncooperative in what way?" Fluttershy asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Like...like the power's there, but we can't access it anymore" Sunset explained to a series of groans.

"Seriously?" Rainbow Dash looked amazed, while Applejack and Rarity shook their heads. "Do you have _any_ answers at all?"

"Look!" Sunset snapped, glaring at the girls. "You girls have no idea of the hours I've been putting into this!" Sighing angrily, she turned away from them. "I'm not even sure I want to figure this out anymore!"

"What are ya talking about, Sunset?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, what are you saying?" Rainbow Dash added.

"Well, I keep expecting magic to operate the same way here that it does in Equestria" Sunset explained. "Over there, magic is…predicable and controllable, but here…here it makes no sense at all! _I'm_ the one that brought this magic here, so I _should_ be able to figure out how magic works, right?"

Sunset saw the other girls glance at each other. None of them answered and that only made her feel madder. "But no, I've spent the last few months just going around in circles! Every time I think I've figured it out, something happens to prove me wrong! It's just so FRUSTRATING!" Sunset screamed, but suddenly she felt a blast of heat behind her and the Rainbooms all gasped. Sunset spun around to see that the Wondercolt statue was covered in black flames.

"The Portal!" Sunset cried out, and the flames seemed to grow larger at her words. "NO!" She screamed, dashing to the statue, but the heat and size of the flames forced her to draw back.

"What's happening?" Pinkie Pie gasped.

"I...I don't know!" Sunset exclaimed as she watched the black fire consume the state and the portal, climbing higher and higher into the sky. "I…I don't understand, _any_ of this!"

"All Ah saw was the portal burst into flames when Sunset got angry" Said Applejack. The girl suddenly paused. "And the statue burned Pinkie when she was teasin' Sunset!"

Sunset saw the girls glance at each other, then at Sunset. There was fear in their eyes now. "Sunset?" Rarity asked quietly. "Are _you_ doing this?"

Sunset was shocked. "N-no!" She stammered. "I'm not doing this, I swear!" But her words sounded strangely hollow. Applejack's point was a good one. Sunset stared at her hands. Even after trying so hard to overcome her past, was she still responsible for the pain her friends felt? Had she truly made any progress at all?

"AAAHHHH!" Sunset spun around at Pinkie's shriek, and she gasped when she saw that her friends were now surrounded by the same black flames that engulfed the wondercolt statue. Seeing that they were trapped, the other girls began reaching and crying out to Sunset.

"Sunset! Help us!" Rainbow Dash called.

"Sunset please!" Fluttershy screamed.

"Ya gotta help us!" Applejack cried out.

"GIRLS, NO!" Sunset dashed towards them, but felt something grab her ankle, causing her to lose her balance and fall on her face. Glancing, back, she saw that a heavy looking ball and chain had appeared out of nowhere and was firmly connected to both of her ankles. "What? Where did this come from?" She grasped the chain and pulled hard, but the chain wouldn't break.

"SUNSET!" Sunset glanced back to see the ring of fire around her friends begin to construct. The girls were huddled together in a panicked ball, but Sunset could feel their gazes on her, even through the black flames. "DO SOMETHING!" Rarity wailed.

"Hang on girls! I'm coming!" Sunset tried to crawl towards her friends, but the ball was too heavy and Sunset found she couldn't move very far.

"Try all you want Sunset, you can't help them" Sunset froze as a voice whispered in her ear, a _very_ familiar voice.

Despite the heat around them, Sunset felt icy terror coarse through her. "That voice" She breathed. "No. No, it can't be!"

"Oh, can't it?" Evil laughter cackled from behind her. Visibly pale now, Sunset slowly turned back towards the statue just in time to see a figure rise up from the flames, a figure with dark red skin and flaming red-and-yellow hair.

She was wearing black boots and a red-and-yellow dress that matched her flaming hair and a fiery tail emerged from the back of her waistline. Large, ragged-looking bat-like wings slowly beat the air and a crooked black horn pulsed with dark energy on the center of her forehead. The figure laughed again as she watched Sunset draw as far back as her chain would let her go.

"Oh my gosh! IT'S SUNSPOT SHIMMER!" Sunset heard Pinkie Pie scream behind her.

The demon Sunset paused, looking surprised, then thoughtful. "'Sunspot Shimmer'? Hmm, I like it!" She smiled and gave another evil laugh. The sky suddenly grew dark and lighting flashed in response. She waved her hands, and the black flames spread rapidly leaping to the school buildings, which quickly caught fire.

"But this is impossible!" Sunset argued, fighting through her disbelief at seeing her school burn around her. "Twilight Sparkle and her friends defeated you at the Fall Formal! You can't still _be_ here!"

"And yet I am here" Sunspot Shimmer smirked triumphantly. "I will ALWAYS be here, Sunset Shimmer! And do you know why?" Not waiting for an answer, she dipped towards Sunset. "Because I am a part of you, the BEST part!" She laughed as Sunset's jaw dropped in horror.

"No! That...that's not true."

"Oh yes it is, and you know it" Sunspot hissed, smirking at Sunset. "You are nothing without me"

"No! I'm better off without you!" Sunset yelled back, but her voice was shaking.

"Maybe _you_ are, but are _they_ better off?" Sunspot gestured to Sunset's trapped friends and the flames around them erupted into fountains of fire.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The five girls screamed as fire rained down on them, obscuring them from view. When the flames subsided, there was no trace of the five girls at all.

"NOOOOOOO!" Sunset wailed, dashing back towards them, only for her feet to get tangled up in the chain, which caused her to trip and fall again.

"What a shame!" Sunspot's laughter grated in Sunset's mind like nails on a chalkboard. "If you're really 'better off' without me, why couldn't you save your friends?"

"No! No! This can't be happening!" Sunset sobbed, tears streaming down her face as she stared at the scorched crated that marked where her friends had been.

"Oh yes it can!" Sunset winced as she heard Sunspot land behind her, then cringed as she felt the girl's clawed hands yank her up and hold her off the ground. "And it will! Take a look Sunset!" Sunspot forced Sunset to look as the entrance of the school caved in, revealing a very familiar hole.

"No!" Sunset sobbed, her voice so choked she could hardly get the word out. The drama from the Fall Formal seemed to replay itself before her very eyes.

"Yes!" Sunspot hissed, grinning wickedly. "Drink it in! Look at what you have done!"

"No! That wasn't me!" Sunset struggled weakly, but her demon self's grip was like iron.

"Deny it all you want, but we both know that's a lie" Sunset shuddered as she felt one of Sunspot's claws gently stroke her chin. "You can't escape your past, Sunset." Sunspot raised her free hand and the ground in front of the door split open. Something rose up from the fissure, a mirror with a frame shaped like a horseshoe.

Sunset gasped as she recognized the mirror. It was the portal in Equestria that lead to this world. The surface of the mirror rippled and Sunset saw images appear in the glass, images of the cruel way she had acted when she was still in Equestria. Sunset saw herself yelling at ponies, deliberately tripping them up, hiding things from them, she even saw an image of herself doing something with a…

"No!" Sunset was so choked with sadness she could barely talk.

"Yessss!" Sunspot hissed like a snake. "This is who you are, and nothing you can say or do will change it. You know the old saying, once a demon... _always a demon_!" With that, there was a sudden _whoosh_ and fire swirled all around Sunset. Her hands burned and when she glanced down at them she saw that they were now deep red and her fingers had become claws. She felt large wings erupt from her shoulders and felt a horn crackling with dark power sprout from her forehead.

Sunset looked up at the mirror and saw her reflection. She looked exactly like Sunspot.

"NOOOOOO!" Sunset screamed as Sunspot's laughter echoed in her ears.

* * *

"Sunset! SUNSET!"

"Huh? What? OW!" Sunset jolted awake seconds before she felt a hand collide with her cheek in hard slap. _A nightmare!_ She sighed as she took in the couch that she was lying on. _Another one!_ She'd been having them ever since the Fall Formal, but lately her dreams seemed to be getting stronger.

Rubbing her face, Sunset glanced up, and for a split second she panicked as she stared into a face that looked exactly like hers, but then she relaxed as she saw kindness and concern radiate out of the face's eyes, and realized it was the face of her human 'twin'

"Oh, sorry about that" 'Sunset' smiled apologetically as she backed away, adjusting the collar of her white lab coat as she spoke. "I didn't know how else to wake you"

"You could have just yelled my name" Sunset snorted as she sat up on the sofa.

"I did, but you were muttering so loudly in your sleep you must not have heard me" 'Sunset' said

"So I talk in my sleep, great" Sunset groaned as she got to her feet.

"Actually, it was more like you were yelling in your sleep" A voice piped up from across the room. Sunset glanced over to see another girl with dark purple hair and thick black glasses wink at her. Sunset smiled back sheepishly, but her grin faded when she saw concern in 'Twilight's face. "Are you okay?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Sunset tried to dodge the question, but from the way 'Twilight' and 'Sunset' exchanged a look, it was pretty clear the two girls were not buying it.

"Are you sure?" Her double asked. "You know you can tell us anything. I mean, _we're_ practically sisters" She gestured to the two of them, which made Sunset chuckle.

"And _we've_ both learned a lot since the Halloween Dance" 'Twilight' added, walking over to join them. "About being social, being friends, and everything in between. Not..." 'Twilight' suddenly corrected herself "...that Sunset and I weren't friends before we met all of you" She laughed nervously, "It's just that now, we have new kinds of friends who don't always share the same interests, so..."

"She gets the point, Twi" 'Sunset' cut in, glancing at her lab partner before turning back to her double. "Still, you know you can talk to us" She insisted.

Sunset took a deep breath. "You're right. I guess I'm just frustrated that we're no closer to figuring out how magic works in this world yet" She admitted, ignoring the pang of guilt in her stomach.

Sunset wanted to tell them the truth, about how she blamed herself, about how she felt like she should have been able to solve this puzzle by now, but every time she tried to, this dark feeling of foreboding seemed to stop her from speaking. Besides, what she said wasn't a total lie.

"Have you tried contacting Princess Twilight?" 'Sunset' motioned to Sunset's backpack, which carried the enchanted journal that allowed Sunset to send and receive letters from Princess Twilight in Equestria.

'Twilight' perked up at the mention of her double. "Yeah, she's gotta know a lot about magic right? You once said that magic was her 'element'. If anyone can help us figure this out, she can"

Sunset shook her head. "I know I probably should, but I kinda...wanna figure this out on my own. I mean, I'm the one that brought the magic here, so if someone's gonna try to figure it out, it may as well be me"

'Sunset' nodded, looking like she understood. "I know the feeling. You know, when Twi and I first met, we were actually rivals. Isn't that right, Twi?" 'Sunset' raised her voice and glanced back towards her partner. "Remember the early times?"

" _Do_ I _?_ " 'Twilight' laughed as she strolled over to a large machine and began plugging cables into it. "When we both attended Crystal Prep together, at first we could barely stand being in the same room as each other. It took both of us tying in a science fair to realize that our energies were better spent working _with_ each other rather than against each other. Once we realized that, it didn't take much to discover we actually had a bit in common, and once we were able to get around a few roadblocks, the rest, was smooth sailing"

"Roadblocks?" Sunset chuckled at her double's half annoyed-half amused exclamation.

'Twilight' suddenly seemed to catch herself. "Oops! Sorry!" She edged behind the machine she was working on.

'Sunset' shook her head at 'Twilight' then turned back to Sunset. "The point is, that we both know how hard it is to ask for help" She leaned in and whispered "and it's even harder when you feel like you have to face up to mistakes that you've made"

Sunset felt her eyes widen in surprise. How did her double know that was what she felt like?

As if reading Sunset's mind, 'Sunset' chuckled and said. "We share a bit more than a name and a face" She winked, which made Sunset smile at her. "I too live with the burden of past decisions. But I was able to overcome my guilt, I'm confident you'll overcome yours"

"Thanks" Sunset and her double hugged, which caused them both to glow with an orange aura and float up off the sofa.

"Uh girls, it's happening again!" 'Twilight' exclaimed, wide eyed.

Upon seeing what was happening, Sunset and her double quickly let go of each other, causing the aura to disappear and for them to gently float back down to the floor.

"Why does that keep happening?" 'Sunset' wondered, looking at Sunset. "Didn't you say you had a theory on that?"

"I do." Sunset nodded. "I think that the aura is caused by the parallel essences that exist between our dimensions. My Equestrian essence is clashing with your human essence."

"Would that be a good thing, or a bad thing?" 'Sunset' asked, raising an eyebrow. "'Cause it doesn't _sound_ like something good"

"I'm not entirely sure" Sunset admitted. "So far nothing major has happened, so it's hard to measure the seriousness of the effects. Maybe the effects would be bigger if more people came over from Equestria" Sunset smiled. "Of course, it's hard for me to measure _anything_ when _you two_ keep hogging all the test subjects." She teased.

"Which is why we're giving you full use of our laboratory for the afternoon, so you can collect some data on your friends" 'Sunset' reminded her, and then glanced at the clock. "Speaking of which, the other girls should be here soon, and we still have to finish setting up. Give me a hand?" 'Sunset' nodded towards a large case that lay on the floor.

Sunset nodded and rose to her feet, but as she did, she felt a sudden clammy feeling rush down the back of her neck, like someone breathing. She glanced back, but saw nothing there but the wall behind her and her shadow on it.

Suddenly, Sunset's eyes widened as her shadow suddenly seemed to grow wings, large bat-like wings. An evil chuckle echoed in Sunset's mind and she shuddered. _Keep it together!_ She scolded herself.

"Hello! Earth to Sunset!" 'Twilight's voice made Sunset shake off the cold feeling and she turned back to her friends with a smile.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming" Sunset walked over to her double's side and helped her open the case, pulling out what appeared to be a metal colander with a lot of wires coming out of the top. 'Sunset' grabbed some of the wires and began plugging them into various consoles while Sunset grabbed two wires and fed them over to a glass-enclosed section of the room filled with large computers. After plugging the wires into her personal laptop inside, Sunset ran a program, than gave her double a thumb up. "Everything's set here!"

'Sunset' nodded, then paused and pulled out her phone, which was vibrating. "Hey Dagi, what's going on?" She smiled as she spoke. Her eyes suddenly widened and she glanced at her watch. "Shoot, it's that time already?" 'Twilight' paused from where she was pushing two consoles closer together. "Ok, thanks, we're on our way" She hung up and turned to 'Twilight. "We were supposed to meet the Sirens five minutes ago at the theater"

'Twilight gasped and glanced at her watch. "Oh no! How did we forget that?"

"Forget about what?" Sunset asked as she walked back into the main room.

"That Imitae was applying for a job at the theater this afternoon, and that we promised the sirens we would come support her" 'Twilight' replied, dashing past her to the door, throwing off her lab coat and trying to hang it on a rack by the door, only for the garment to slip from her grasp and fall to the floor.

"Wait, when was Imitae planning to get a job?" Sunset asked. This was the first time she was hearing about Changeling seeking employment.

"You didn't know?" 'Sunset's smile faded and she looked thoughtful. "I could have sworn I told you"

"No, I would have remembered if you had" Sunset responded. In her mind however, Sunset heard another chuckle.

 _Or maybe they just don't care enough to tell you"_ Sunspot whispered. _"Not surprising, considering what they know about you"_

 _Shut up!_ Sunset growled in response, clenching her teeth.

"Oh, we need to get going!" 'Twilight' whimpered from the door. 'Sunset' rolled her eyes as she shrugged off her own lab coat and hung it neatly on the coat rack.

"Relax Twi, the theater's not going anywhere" She glanced at Sunset and rolled her eyes, which made Sunset chuckle. "Good luck Sunset!" She called as they headed out the door.

"Wait!" Sunset called, rushing after them. "You're leaving me alone? What if I...?"

"You'll be fine!" 'Sunset' called back from the landing. "Just don't do anything we wouldn't do! Oh, and try not to blow up the lab, okay? It's the only one we've got!"

Sunset groaned as she listened to her double's laughter echo down the stairway as she shut the door and leaned against it. For a few moments, the room was silent, except for the buzzing of the machines and the beeping of computers. Sunset finally shook her head to clear it and strode over to where her backpack was leaning against the sofa. Fishing out the journal, she opened it to a blank page, clicked her pen, and began writing.

 _Dear Princess Twilight,_

 _How's life in Equestria? Learned any cool new spells yet?_

 _Things have been pretty quiet since your last visit. Imitae is now sharing a dorm room with the sirens and is settling in well. Our doubles have been peppering them and me with questions about Equestria and magic. I've tried to answer their questions, but the magic here seems to act differently than it does in Equestria. For example, we all still pony up when we play music, which Rainbow Dash keeps begging for us to show off, but we've been firm in our resolution of keeping this under wraps. No use showing something we don't fully understand yet!_

 _And that's the problem, really. I DON'T understand what's going on. I feel like I should and yet, I can't grasp exactly what this is all about. I would love to hear your opinion about this if you have the time._

 _Give Princess Celestia my regards._

 _Your friend, Sunset Shimmer._

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **I sincerely apologize for retracting this story, but like I said, I was getting nowhere with the plot and seriously felt like I needed to start over. This new plot-line should be bigger and better!**

 **That being said, I have a lot on my plate at the moment so updates to this story will be infrequent, at least until I get some other things finished. Just bear with me and you won't be disappointed (hopefully!)**

 **Until Next Time!**


	4. Chapter 2

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Ch 2**

 **In Twilight's Castle:**

"Oh my gosh! Are you sure?" Twilight Sparkle squealed, somehow able to maintain a steady grip on the teacup before her with her magic, despite the excitement rapidly building up within her.

Her speaker nodded once, but Twilight wanted to be absolute. "Are you _really_ sure?" She pressed, placing the teacup on the table before gazing up at her guest with wide eyes. The teacup rattled in it saucer as Twilight set it down.

Princess Celestia chuckled as she observed the reaction of her most faithful student. "Yes Twilight, I am quite sure. Assuming that time flows the same in her world as it does here, it should happen in two days time."

"Oh wow! Two days! That's not a lot of time! I need to go tell the other girls!" Twilight leapt to her hooves and made to dash out of the room, but suddenly caught herself and sheepishly turned to look at the Princess. "Would you please excuse me?" She asked, giving her mentor an embarrassed smile.

"Of course Twilight" Celestia nodded, smiling to herself as she watched the purple pony skip out of the room, leaving Celestia alone in the room.

The sun princess smiled to herself and let her vision travel along the glittering walls of the reception room, coming to a stop when it fell upon a certain photograph on a shelf. Celestia charged her horn with golden aura, using her magic to move the photograph until it was hovering in front of her. It was the photograph of Sunset Shimmer's human form that Twilight had brought back from the human world the last time she had visited.

"Oh Sunset" She breathed, staring sadly down at the picture of Sunset staring back up at her happily. "I miss you so much. I wish I could see you again" She sighed, then paused and her eyes widened as a thought entered her mind. "Hmmm, maybe I can" She pondered, and her sad frown curled up into a cheeky smile

* * *

 **Meanwhile, in Canterlot City:**

Five girls chatted with one another as they climbed the stairs to 'Sunset' and 'Twilight's laboratory, clutching their instruments as they clopped up the stairs.

"Any idea why Sunset wanted us to rehearse _here?_ " Rarity asked as she adjusted the strap on the case containing her Key-tar.

"Beats me" Applejack shrugged her shoulders. "But she said she had a good reason"

"I guess we'll find out, cause here we are!" Rainbow Dash announced from the front, having reached the landing.

"I don't think we've ever seen Human Sunset and Twilight's lab before" Fluttershy spoke up.

"I know. It's gonna be _awesome!"_ Pinkie crowed from the back of the group as Rainbow Dash opened the door and lead the group inside.

"Huh?" Each of the girls explained simultaneously upon stepping inside, their eyes wandering between the large machines and high-tech equipment that ran along the walls of the room.

"Uh Sunset?" Rainbow Dash spoke first when she spotted the fiery-haired girl in a corner, wearing a white lab coat.

Sunset glanced up, "Oh, hi girls!" She smiled at them.

"Uh, I thought we were supposed to be rehearsing" Rainbow Dash voiced her confusion. After all, the text they had all gotten from Sunset asked them to come by for a rehearsal.

"Well you are, sort of" Sunset answered as she stood up and walked towards them. "You see, back when I was Principle Celestia's student in Equestria, I learned best by going out into the field and actually _doing_ something, not just reading about it" She explained as she reached for a box of latex gloves that lay on a nearby table. Clutching a pair out of the box, she continued. "Studying books and scrolls may work for _some_ people, but I like to solve mysteries and problems by rolling up my sleeves and getting my hooves, er... _hands_ dirty" She chuckled while slipping the gloves onto her hands, then turned and headed back towards one of the machines that lay along the wall.

"Well, Ah can relate ta workin' hard outdoors" Applejack spoke up, "But what they hey does that have to do with _us_ playin' music?"

"As you know, for the last few weeks, I've been trying to figure out how magic works in this world." Sunset explained as she plugged two different cables together, causing a nearby device to emit an electronic _hmmmmmm_. "Like why you all grow ears, tails, and wings when you pony up, and whether or not your instruments may have something to do with it"

"And what makes you think our instruments may be connected to this?" Rarity asked, instinctively wrapping her hands around her instrument.

"Because from what I've seen, every person who used magic in this world has drawn it from a particular source, a conduit if you will. Twilight and I drew magic from her crown, our doubles and Imitae drew it from the Star Stone halves, and the Sirens drew it from their pendants." Sunset theorized.

"And you think our instruments are the source of our magic?" Pinkie finished.

"That's what I'm hoping to find out today" Sunset nodded as she typed something in on one of the computers, then picked up a metal coriander with wires sticking out of it and approached Fluttershy.

Seeing her coming with the metal 'hat', Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Um, are you _sure_ we need to figure this out?" She asked nervously

Sunset smiled at her friend as she placed the coriander on Fluttershy's head and secured the strap under the girl's chin. "Relax, It'll be fun" She promised, though Fluttershy did not look convinced. "Just start playing, you won't even know I'm here!"

Fluttershy glanced nervously towards the other girls, who just shrugged their shoulders back at her. She glanced back as Sunset typed a command on a computer keyboard, then gave her a thumbs up. "Okay" Still looking nervous, Fluttershy started playing, rattling the tambourine as she slapped it with her hand in time with a beat in her head.

When nothing seemed to happen, Fluttershy allowed herself to smile in relief and began playing louder, her eyes closed. Sunset was examining the machine when her eyes were suddenly drawn to a screen that was supposed to show a wavy purple line. Before her eyes, the purple line warped into a butterfly image and seemed to endlessly jump out at the screen. Sunset glanced back in time to see Fluttershy's body glow with a soft yellow light. Wings erupted from the girl's shoulders and her hair extended down to the floor in a ponytail.

As Fluttershy raised her hands up, the light enveloping her body flashed brightly and the metal 'hat' shot off her head, trailing a long stream of sparkly items like a comet tail. The coriander hit the ceiling and a pulse of light spread out from it, causing the ceiling lights to flicker off one by one. As Sunset stared up at darkened lights, she felt one of the sparkly items land on her nose and realized that it was actually a glowing butterfly. As Sunset stared at it, she could hear the other girls snickering in the background.

It took a while to get the lights back on, and even longer to clear out the butterflies, but when they were finally gone, Applejack volunteered to be next. The hat was damaged beyond repair, so Sunset just asked the country girl to start playing. No sooner had Applejack begun to strum her base when her body was enveloped in an amber light and her hair grew into a tail. Applejack floated off the ground and hovered in the air like a hummingbird, then suddenly the light faded, her hair shortened and she landed back on the floor. She glanced down at her guitar, than shrugged at Sunset, who wrote something down.

"Ow!" Sunset yelped as an object suddenly bonked her on the head. Wincing from the impact, she saw Applejack lean forward and catch the offensive item, an apple. Sunset stared at the apple in confusion before a faint rumble drew her gaze upwards. "Waa!" She cried out as it literally began raining apples all around her. In seconds, Sunset was completely buried in apples. Fighting her way out of the fruity mess, she saw Applejack shrug again and wander over to where the other girls were giggling, munching on the apple she had caught.

Rolling her eyes, Sunset carted the apples to a corner and then beckoned Rarity forward. While Rarity adjusted her Key-Tar, Sunset ran a series of small wires attached to electrodes over and began placing them, one by one, onto the exposed skin in Rarity's arms and legs. Rarity whimpered nervously as Sunset stuck the final electrode onto the center of her forehead, but Sunset patted her shoulder reassuringly and the fashonista seemed to relax. Sunset nodded at Rarity, and the girl began playing a tune on her key-tar.

Almost instantly, her body was enveloped in a royal purple aura that was studded with sparkles. With a flash of light her pony ears sprouted up from the top of her head and her purple hair grew and curled of its own accord. As Sunset quickly began jotting notes down on her clipboard, Rarity closed her eyes, and began playing louder. The aura around her body got brighter and her feet lifted off the ground. As Rarity began rising towards the ceiling, Sunset smiled excitedly, not realizing that she was standing on the wires that connected to the electrodes, wires that tightened around Sunset's ankles as Rarity rose and pulled the girl off balance. "WOAAHH!" Sunset cried out, as she fell on her back, her clipboard and pen flying out of her hands. As she gazed at her feet, which were now sticking straight up in the air and hopelessly tangled in the electrode wires, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie burst out laughing. Rarity smiled apologetically from her new vantage point while Applejack rushed over to help untangle Sunset from the mess of wires.

"You okay, sugarcube?" Applejack asked as Sunset rose to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Sunset replied, bending down to rub her ankles as Rarity floated back down the ground. "Pinkie, you're next"

"Sweet!" The pink-haired girl beamed before literally bouncing over to where a drum set had been set up. She plopped down on the stool, twirled a pair of drumsticks in her hand like batons and began tapping them on the drums while Sunset strode over to a large machine that had a bolt of electricity arcing between two antennae on the top. She checked the machine, pressed a few keys, then nodded to her friend, who nodded back and then began pounding louder.

A pink aura appeared around her which quickly spread to the drum set as she played. As Sunset watched her ears sprout, she motioned for Pinkie to play even louder. Happily, the girl began to beat her sticks on the drums, her arms became a blur as she moved from one drum to the next. With every hit, the aura surrounding the drums seemed to get brighter and brighter. Finally, when Pinkie slammed both of her sticks down at once, there was a flash of light and what looked like a long stream of balloons covered in pink aura came shooting out from the base drum as if they had been fired from a machine gun. Sunset's eyes widened as she saw the stream of inflatable projectiles coming her way, but before she could react, the balloons slammed into her with such force that she was knocked off her feet and slammed against the far wall. As everyone else gasped, the balloons began to spark, arcing white bolts of electricity between each other, then one by one they lifted off the wall, floated up to the ceiling and popped, disappearing as they did so. Sunset could feel the electricity from the balloons make her hair stand on end, and as the last of the balloons lifted free, Rarity gasped in horror.

"Sunset! Your hair!" She exclaimed, as Applejack and Rainbow Dash began laughing so hard they literally fell over.

"Wow! Neat Trick!" Pinkie cheered as the aura around her faded.

"Mmh! Mmh!" Sunset grunted, trying to pull herself off the wall, but to her amazement, she seemed stuck. "Uh girls. A little help here, please?" She begged, smiling sheepishly as Pinkie and Rarity rushed to pull her off the wall, but whatever was holding Sunset there had a really strong grip. It took all five girls to pull Sunset off the wall, but finally she came free, landing on her backside rather ungracefully in the process.

"Let's see, that's Magic 4: Sunset 0" Rainbow Dash chortled as the girls pulled Sunset to her feet.

"Don't be so cocky, Rainbow Dash, you're next" Sunset retorted, handing her a power cord for her guitar. The rainbow-haired girl shrugged and plugged it into her guitar as Sunset dashed behind the glass of the control room. Plugging in her laptop, she waited for a few seconds, then gave Rainbow Dash a thumbs-up. The girl nodded and began strumming her guitar as Sunset reached up and switched on a video monitor hanging from the ceiling. A black-and-white image of Rainbow Dash appeared on the monitor and Sunset glanced at it before typing a command on her laptop and a graph appeared on the screen with a white line that looked like a seismograph. As the line started spreading out, Sunset looked up in time to see Rainbow Dash's body become enveloped in blue light and lift her off the ground, she twirled in the air as her wings, ears, and tail appeared, slowing them off with such flare that Sunset felt herself smile.

"Aw Yeah!" Rainbow Dash crowed as she lifted higher and higher.

"That's great Rainbow Dash! Keep it up!" Sunset called though a speaker as she watched the line on her computer go crazy. "Give me some more if you can!" She called a second later. Rainbow Dash smirked and strummed a super mega power chord on her guitar, loud enough to make everyone in the room cover their ears. "Maybe not quite that...much" Sunset's voice broke off as she noticed something unusual, a rainbow-colored stream of...something was traveling down the power chord away from Rainbow Dash's guitar, making the chord move as it did so. As Sunset watched, the stream followed the chord across the room, through the wall of the control room and, before she could stop it, flow into the cord plugged into her laptop computer. "Uh oh" Sunset mumbled as her computer screen was suddenly filled with a dazzling kaleidoscope of rainbow-colored light that seemed to pulse as she stared at it, growing brighter and brighter. Sunset, realizing what was about to happen, barely had time to shut her eyes before the rainbow colors suddenly exploded outwards, covering the windows, walls, floor, ceiling, and everything else in what looked like rainbow-colored paint.

"Sunset!" Applejack called, dashing towards the control room door and trying to open it. "Are you okay in there?"

The speaker above the door crackled on and the girls heard what sounded liked coughing. "I'm alright!" Sunset finally answered. "I'm okay. I think I've got what I need. Just wait there, I'll be out in a few minutes once I compile the data"

The girls glanced at each other and they all seemed to shrug.

"I hope Sunset's okay in there" Applejack frowned as she strode back to where the others were.

"Ah, she'll be fine" Rainbow Dash scoffed as she floated down to the floor. "It anyone can figure out why this is happening, Sunset can."

"Ooooh! I hope she can tell me how to make those balloons again! That was _so cool!_ " Pinkie squealed as she tapped her sticks on the high hat.

"I must admit I did enjoy levitating like that" Rarity confessed as she twirled a knob on her Key-tar.

"Likewise" Applejack agreed. "That _was_ kinda cool"

"Well, I guess we'll know soon enough" Fluttershy finished, as she brushed a few strands of hair out of her face.

As the girls waited for Sunset, they each began tuning their instruments in preparation for the rehearsal they were planning to do afterwards. Finally the girls heard the door open and Sunset announce "Finally, after all this testing, I've come to a definitive conclusion!"

"Great, what...is it?" The girls all spun around, and were shocked by what they saw. Sunset's white lab coat was scratched and scuffled and was torn in several places. There were scratch marks on her forehead and cheeks, and her hair still stuck out like the Bride of Frankenstein. As they watched, small rainbow-colored bolts of energy seemed to chase each other across her hair. "Sunset, are you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking worried now.

Sunset coughed, and a tiny rainbow burst from her mouth as she did so. Wobbling slightly on her feet, she answered. "I have _no_ idea how magic works in this world" With that, her legs gave out and she collapsed backwards.

"Sunset!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack shot forwards, catching the girl before she hit the ground.

"Sunset, are you ok?" Fluttershy whimpered as they crowded around her

"Oh Sunset, please wake up!" Rarity exclaimed, gently tapping the girl's face.

Sunset could hear them, and feel them, but her body felt like it was made of stone, she couldn't move. She could feel the magic, or whatever it was, coursing through her, giving her goosebumps. _What's happening to me?_ She wondered as she felt her mind begin to fog over. But just before she lost consciousness, she heard a sound that made her shudder, a evil chuckle in her own voice, that briefly pierced the dark fog in her mind.

"What a surprise, you failed Sunset" Sunspot whispered in her head. "You've _always_ been a failure" With that, Sunset felt her mind go dark.

 **Meanwhile, in a secret location:**

"Well well, I think we're getting another signal!" A voice echoed through the insides of the truck, followed by the clicking of computer keys.

"Well, where's it coming from?" Another voice growled

"Keep your pants on sir" The first voice chuckled as the computer screen lit up the dim truck interior. "Searching now" As the computer showed a plan of Canterlot City and began zooming in, the figure leaned back in his chair. "We seriously need to thank Starlight Glimmer for developing that ingenious search program. Some of her calculations are...beyond me! That girl is, quite literally, a genius! Hmm, I wonder if she would consider working to help me prove my new theory about spacial displacement..."

"Enough!" the man winced as a heavy fist came down on a nearby table. "Just get the results Time Turner, and stop mumbling!"

"Okay, Okay! I'm on it!" Time Turner groaned as he bent over a computer screen. The glow from the monitor illuminated his pale face, brown spiky hair and brown trench coat with a golden hourglass emblazoned on the breast pocket. "Not like you'd be able to read them yourself anyway" He said under his breath.

"What was that?" Time Turner winced as he heard heavy footsteps behind him and felt hot breath on the back of his neck.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" He chuckled nervously. The computer beeped and he pressed a few keys. "Let's see, signal captured, tracking now. Origin appears to be..." He paused and squinted at the screen. "Wait, that can't be right"

"What can't be right?" The large man behind him asked.

"According to the computer, the signal isn't coming from Canterlot High this time. It's coming from somewhere else" Time Turner pressed a few keys and a screen over his computer flickered to life, showing a street map of Canterlot City. A red dot appeared at one end of the map. "Here's Canterlot High" Time Tuner pointed to the dot, then typed another command "And here's the location of the signal we're getting now" A second red dot appeared on the map, some distance away from the first one. "Interesting" He mused.

"Can you get an address on the current signal location?"

"Checking.." Time Turner resumed typing. "It's coming from an apartment complex on Kundudo Road, address number 1717"

The large man nodded "Good"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. He dialed a number.

" _Yes?"_ A deep voice answered

"It's me boss, we've got another one, at a different location" The man said.

"C _onfirmed?"_

"Oh yeah" The man smiled. "The address is 1717 Kundudo Road. Looks like its from an apartment complex"

" _I'll get a team out there. Get all the info you can on the location"_ The voice ordered.

"Already on it boss" The man said before hanging up. Turning back to Time Turner, he ordered "Get me all the details you can on that building. I want to know who owns it, who lives there, what happens there, the works. Get me floor plans of each level, hack any online systems you can find..."

"Now wait just a minute!" Time Turner spun around the face him, he looked angry. "This is not what I signed up for! The deal was that this would be for scientific research, not criminal activity!"

"The deal, Time Turner, it whatever _I_ say it is" The large man growled.

"No, this is going too far! I won't do it!" Time Tuner shook his head and crossed his arms. But his new-found confidence quickly wavered when the large man rose up to his full height and towered over him.

"You know what your problem is, Time Turner?" He said, chuckling as he spoke. "You're just not a practical guy. All you've ever cared about is your research, which is why my boss had to bail you out of debt, and now he wants to see some return on his investments"

Time Turner opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off. "Of course, if you don't feel comfortable with the current solution of repayment, I'm sure we can find...other ways... to settle your accounts" The man cracked his knuckled threateningly as he spoke.

Time Turner's face paled. "N-no-no need for that" He mumbled, quickly turning back to the computer and starting to type rapidly. "I'll get you what you want"

"Indeed you will, Time Turner" The large man smirked, looking satisfied. "Indeed you will. Tantabus _always_ gets what it wants"

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **Okay, before you say anything, let me make one thing clear. I introduced Time Turner as a member of project Tantabus SOLELY because he struck me as the kind of person that would find themselves being used by the bad guys, a person who cared only about his work, which in my opinion, makes him easier to target and manipulate. He's not a bad guy, he's just being used by them. I'm sorry if this upsets any Dr. Who fans out there!**

 **FYI: The Kundudo is the name of a species of feral horse in Ethiopia that is currently threatened with extinction. Consider that your WOW fact for the day!**

 **I know I said that updates to this chapter would be few and far between, but I've been known to eat my words before. Just keep watching! (and keep reviewing! That always helps!)**

 **Until Next Time!**


	5. Chapter 3

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Ch 3**

 _"What is it you want?"_ Starlight Glimmer squeezed her eyes shut as a familiar voice echoed in her mind. She shook her head in an effort to clear it, but it still lingered.

" _Tell me! Come on Glimmy, tell me!"_ The voice begged.

 _"_ Shut up!" Starlight snapped, gritting her teeth.

"What did you say?" Starlight jumped as another voice, this one icy cold, rang out. She turned to see a girl with pale yellow skin and lavender-colored hair, streaked with white, glaring at her.

For a moment, the two girls stared at each other. Then Starlight smiled and said "Nothing. I didn't say anything"

The girl snorted. "That's what I thought" She said snootily, before walking away, with her nose in the air.

Starlight sighed as the watched the girl go. Unconsciously she reached down to adjust the hem of her plaid skirt. Opening her eyes and setting her mouth in a firm line, she closed her locker door and spun the dial to lock it. After checking twice ensure it was sealed shut, she turned and began walking briskly down the hallways of Crystal Prep Academy, narrowly dodging other students as she did so.

"Hey! Watch it!" A girl with orange hair snapped as Starlight swerved to avoid walking into her. Her companion, a boy with blonde hair, just sneered as they walked away. Starlight glared after them, but made no move to answer. She just shook her head and continued walking in the opposite direction.

From all aspects, Crystal Prep Academy had the appearance of a very successful high school. Despite its 40 year history, the building appeared brand new and was kept so clean that the very walls seemed to glimmer, like they were made of crystal. A popular joke was that the cleanliness of the building had lead to the school name. Others thought that the school's name came from its education program, which was expensive, but considered to be a 'treasure' to those who could afford it.

Starlight glanced through a door as she walked by it and saw twenty students in the classroom beyond. From the looks of it, they were taking a physics examination. The stern-looking teacher was standing at the front of the room, her iron-like eyes sweeping the assembled students. Starlight snorted as she saw the problems on the blackboard. _Kid's stuff_! She thought. As if hearing her, one of the students, a willowy girl with pale skin and white hair, glanced up at her and glared. Rolling her eyes, Starlight walked on, but the girl's glare, and the sneers of the other students remained in her mind, and to her surprise, she felt uncomfortable.

Sure, Crystal Prep had the look of a high school, but to Starlight, it had always felt more like a prison.

As she walked, her drifting gaze rested upon a trophy case, one of several that lined the hallway. Starlight paused, running her hand across the glass, smiling at all the plaques and golden cups that lined the shelves, then her eyes rested upon one plaque that was larger than the others. It read:

 _In Honor of the students who have shown excellence in the Academic Arts:_

There were a number of names carved below these words, but as Starlight scanned the list, two names seemed to jump out at her.

 _Twilight Sparkle_ and _Sunset Shimmer_

Starlight felt her lips curl into a frown. _Those two!_ She thought, narrowing her eyes as if hoping her gaze could burn the names away. Her gaze drifted to the trophy next to it and her frown deepened when she saw Twilight Sparkle's name carved into it. The trophy next to that belonged to Sunset Shimmer, and the one next to that had both their names on it. Starlight's frown deepened as she quickly scanned the entire case, but could not find a single trophy that did not have at least one of the two girl's names on it.

 _How ironic you both graduated a year ago, and you are **still** able to torture me!_ Sunset thought bitterly. She shut her eyes as pictures of the two girls filled her mind, staring down at her with smug smiles on their faces. They were mocking her, laughing at her, making her feel worthless, just like they had before they had graduated. She grit her teeth as he mind flashed back to science fairs and presentations in the past, how despite her best efforts, no matter what she did, it was never good enough to compete with those two.

Oh sure, they _acted_ nice enough, congratulating Starlight whenever she came in behind them, and even when she had failed to place at all, but Starlight was no fool, she could tell that they were really reminding her how she had failed to prove herself each time. _We're smarter than you are,_ their smiles had always seemed to say, _and we always will be!_ Growling angrily, Starlight shook her head vigorously to try to dispel the images from her brain, and the two girls dissolved into colorful streaks of red and purple.

Starlight's eyes opened, and then paused as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass doors of the case. Her eyes were hard as iron and her eyebrows narrowed, just like the girl who had been taking the examination. Her mouth was curled in a sneer, just like the one that boy had given her a few minutes ago. Starlight was used to seeing these looks, she had been getting them ever since Twilight and Sunset had graduated, when she had become Crystal Prep's best student. Normally, she was able to ignore them, but seeing the same look on her _own_ face, it was...troubling. _Did I ever give Sunset and Twilight this look?_ She wondered before she could stop herself. Shivering, she quickly moved away from the glass case and continued walking.

Reaching the main foyer, she paused to observe students that were milling around. Though some were in small groups, many were by themselves, and as Starlight looked around, she noticed one thing in common, almost none of them were smiling. Sure, some were grinning, but they were smug grins, and they were usually accompanied with a boast of some achievement, which caused everyone else around them to scowl and glare.

As Starlight crossed the foyer, two girls, one with orange skin and purple hair and one with blue skin and turquoise hair glanced up at her and both girls glared at her so fiercely that Starlight found herself instinctively taking a step away from them. But rather than comment, she ignored them and started walking up the steps on the other side, but she could feel the gaze of the two girls burn into the back of her neck like laser beams. As she climbed the stairs, she passed a group of boys in athletic uniforms heading down, and one of them, a tall boy with purple hair bumped into her, throwing her against the railing. "Hey!" She cried out, but none of the boys gave any indication that they heard her. They just tromped down the stairs, like soldiers in formation.

Starlight watched them go, glaring daggers at them. That boy had bumped her on purpose! As if to rub salt in the wound, the two girls from before appeared at the bottom of the stairway and one of them spoke to the boy who had bumped her, who nodded and then all three of them glared up at Starlight before the boy dashed over to join his classmates. Starlight snorted and began walking up the stairs, with her nose in the air. _I'll show him!_ She thought angrily as she crested the landing and turned to walk up the next flight. _I'll show all of them! I'm the best student at Crystal Prep, now that Twilight and Sunset are gone, I've aced every test, I'm at the top of every class, and once I finish this extra credit project for Dean Sombra, I'll finally get the recognition that I deserve. They'll forget all about Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer. The name Starlight Glimmer will be on the lips of everyone at Crystal Prep Academy!_

By this time, Starlight had reached the top of the stairs and found herself in a round room with several doors leading off of it. Gathered around the biggest one, which lay on the opposite side of the room were Lemon Zest and Sugarcoat, along with a girl with indigo-colored hair who was tossing a ball up into the air and catching it, a freckle-faced girl with dark red hair who was typing into her phone, and a blue-skinned girl with light purple and pink hair who was primping herself in a pocket mirror.

 _That's assuming I can make this work,_ Starlight frowned as she took in the appearance of the members of her research team. Five aces in different fields who had been hand-picked by Dean Sombra to assist with this project. She had been told they were the best, but they didn't _look_ like it. They didn't even wear the same version of the school uniform! Starlight felt her heart sink as she took in their appearance. They were presenting their findings to Principle Cinch today, so she had asked them to look their best, but obviously they had not heard her correctly.

Taking another deep breath to collect herself, Starlight stepped out of the stairway and walked over to them, clearing her throat as she crossed the room. The five girls glanced up. "Starlight, you're here!" The freckle-faced girl sang out, smiling sweetly at her, then her smile suddenly faded into a frown and added "Finally!" in a tone completely the opposite of what she had been using a few seconds ago.

"Keep your skirt on, Sour Sweet" Starlight replied, refusing to allow the girl's dual-identity nature to bug her, even though it secretly did. Sour Sweet could be sweet as pie one minute and sour as a lemon the next. Many people called her the ultimate two-face, but none dared say it to her face. "She said four thirty, it's four twenty-eight right now." Starlight glanced at the black watch on her wrist as she spoke.

"Actually, it's four twenty nine" The blue-skinned girl corrected, smiling smugly.

Starlight glanced at her, then down at her watch. "No, my watch says..."

"Who cares what _your_ watch says?" The girl suddenly snapped, cutting Starlight off. " _My_ watch is guaranteed to keep precise and punctual time. The world runs by _my_ watch, and clearly _you_ don't!" She extended her wrist to show to show off the expensive looking watch that graced it.

"Whatever, Sunny Flare" Starlight shook her head. Sunny Flare was Principle Cinch's niece but only a select few knew that. But it was clear that she had her aunt's high-opinions of view, though they were mainly about herself. Sunny Flare loved to rank everyone below her, especially since her rich parents loved to spoil her with the latest and most expensive accessories. Starlight tried to ignore the smirk on the girl's face as she addressed the group "Does everyone know what they are supposed to do? We need this presentation to go off without any..."

"Without any problems, yeah yeah, we know" The indigo-haired girl droned, rolling her eyes as she spoke. "Don't worry Starlight, we won't ruin your little project...much" She added in a lowered tone, which made Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest chuckle and Starlight grimace. Indigo Zap was an athlete and also one of the most competitive girls in the entire school. Starlight had heard whispered rumors that the girl's competitiveness had lead her to actually hurt those that got in her way. She had also heard that the girl hated taking orders from other people.

"Need I remind you, Indigo Zap, that _you're_ the one who needs the passing grade, not me" Starlight retorted, and was rewarded by the frown that crossed the athletic girl's face. "You all do" Starlight turned to everyone present.

"Starlight does have a point." Sugarcoat spoke up. "If this presentation goes badly, we'll all be affected far worse than she will"

Starlight blinked in surprise at the girl. Sugarcoat was the most honest girl she knew, but she was also the least emotional and conservative, like she didn't care who her words hurt. It was rare that she would actually stand up for anyone though.

As if to prove her point, Sugarcoat suddenly glared at Starlight "Of course, since this is _her_ project, she'll be the one to blame if it fails" She added.

Starlight scowled, _there_ was the sting she was looking for. Sugarcoat gave new meaning to the term 'the truth hurts'. It was like she was trying to be as unlike her name as possible.

"Sugarcoat's right" Starlight said determined not to be put off by Sugarcoat's brutal honesty "So I suggest you give this project your complete attention if you don't want to fail"

Starlight paused for a few moments to allow the seriousness of her words to sink in. The girls grumbled but Indigo Zap tucked her ball into her bag and Sunny Flare slipped her mirror into a pocket. Starlight allowed a small smile to slide onto her face. She had their attention now. Despite their differences, every student at Crystal Prep Academy was bound by one common fact, failure was not an option. "You all know what to do?" She asked again. Each of the girls nodded, their faces becoming serious. "Good" Starlight strode past them to the door and knocked on it. "Let's get this over with" She muttered as the door swung open.

* * *

The darkened office beyond was draped in shadow. The only light came from two chandeliers that hung from the ceiling, casting pools of light onto a large ebony desk and the space right in front of it, which was occupied by six chairs.

Starlight jumped as Dean Sombra's face suddenly emerged from the shadows next to the door. His dark eyes quickly swept over the assembled girls and narrowed for a second. Starlight felt her heart drip, he must have noticed the difference in uniforms. But to her relief, Dean Sombra didn't say anything, he just motioned the six girls inside.

As they entered, they saw that behind the desk was the back of a large chair. Standing next to it was a person wearing a white lab coat. Starlight's eyes widened as she recognized the tall man with amber-colored skin and reddish-orange hair. A twisted goatee matched his hair color and his cobalt blue eyes peered at them through wire-rimmed glasses.

"Professor Sunburst? What are you doing here?" Starlight asked. The other girls exchanged confused glances.

The teacher smiled in Starlight's direction as Sombra responded. "As someone who has had all six of you in his classes this year, Principle Cinch figured that Professor Sunburst could offer an unbiased view of your presentation."

"Specifically, I'm eager to see how well you six can work together" Professor Sunburst added. Seeing the looks on their faces, she smiled sheepishly. "I know, I know. Teamwork is not a strong suit for any of you"

"You got that right" Indigo Zap muttered under her breath, causing the two girls flanking her to give her cold looks.

"But I really think you six have the potential to work well together." Principle Sunburst added, giving them his trademark smile. "In fact I..."

"Thank you Professor Sunburst. That will do" The man was interrupted by a cold voice that seeped from the chair behind the large desk. As everyone turned to face it, the chair spun around, revealing a tall, thin-faced woman with blue-skin and hair that was a darker shade of purple, and dark eyes. "Students" She addressed the girls in a stern and somewhat commanding voice.

"Principle Cinch" The girls all replied in unison, dipping their heads towards their principle.

"You may proceed" The woman nodded back at them and motioned to a projector and screen that was set up on one side of the room. As the girls set up their presentation, the three adults held a whispered discussion around Principle Cinch's desk. Starlight strained to hear their conversation, but all she caught were the words 'energy' and 'not possible', and her heart sank a little lower, but she banished the thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on the task at hand.

"Okay, who's got the drive?" She asked as she plugged the cord for the projector into her laptop. When no one responded, she glanced up to see all the girls looking back at her. "Well?" She asked again. "Who has it?"

"Putting the final presentation together was supposed to be _your_ job, remember?" Sugarcoat reminded her.

Starlight shook her head. "I told you I had a family emergency last night and that I would be unable to put the final presentation together. Didn't you receive my text?" Sugarcoat shook her head. Starlight turned to the rest of the girls "Did _any_ of you receive it?" She asked. The other foul girls all shook their heads in unison. Starlight groaned in disbelief. "Well, that's just great. We have six individual presentations instead of one group presentation."

"Sounds like _you_ should consider giving this project _your_ full attention" Indigo Zap joked, causing the other girls to smirk.

"Zip it!" Starlight growled back .

"Is there a problem, girls?" Principle Cinch called from her desk. The teachers had finished their conversation and were now seated around the desk, looking their way.

"Uh, no problem" Starlight replied, trying to hide the growing anxiety in her voice. "Just...waiting for the computer to boot up" She gave a nervous laugh and turned back to the girls. "Okay, we're gonna have to wing it. Can you at least transfer your parts to my computer?" Once again, the girls all silently stared back at her and Starlight felt the urge to face-palm again. "Guess not. Okay, we'll just have to rotate computers." She sighed and switched on the projector. "Okay, enough mistakes, let's try to salvage what we can of this."

"Are you going to present or not?" Principle Cinch snapped, and Starlight winced at the woman's tone.

"Sunset and Twilight never kept us waiting this long" Dean Sombra added, just loud enough for the girls to hear.

Starlight bristled. _Oh yeah? I'll show them!_ She thought. _I'll make them forget all about Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle!_

* * *

 **Meanwhile, In Equestria:**

"Okay Twilight" Rarity shifted on her throne, looking annoyed as she watched her alicorn friend plop down on hers with a giddy smile on her face. "You've gathered us all here, now what's this big announcement you have to make?"

"Whatever it is, it had better be good" Rainbow Dash grumbled. "I was right in the middle of a much-needed nap"

"And I was right in the middle giving Harry a bath" Fluttershy added. "He's very picky about that"

"Well _I_ was right in the middle of designing a new line!" Rarity whined. "If this takes too long, I may lose my inspiration, and I'll have to start all over again!" She exclaimed dramatically, throwing back her head to let her purple mane flow.

"Celestia help us if that happens" Applejack mumbled, rolling her eyes. "So ya gonna spill the beans or what, Twilight?"

Pinkie gasped at Applejack. "WHAT? Are you _CRAZY_ Applejack? You should never _ever_ spill the beans, they're super hard to clean up!" As everypony stared at her in confusion she thought for a moment, then added "Besides, I don't even think Twilight _has_ any beans"

"Anyway..." Twilight tapped her hoof on the map table to get her friend's attention. "I've gathered you all here because I have learned something very important. As you all know, Sunset Shimmer, one of my friends at Canterlot High, was born in Equestria and used to be one of Princess Celestia's students."

"Yeah, we know all that" Rainbow Dash acknowledged. "So?"

"So..." Twilight continued, smirking at her pegasus friend. "Princess Celestia has just told me that two days from today, it will be Sunset Shimmer's birthday!"

"OOOOhhh! Sweet! I love birthdays!" Pinkie squealed.

"Uh, that's great and all," Rainbow Dash frowned "But what's that got to do with us?"

Twilight smirked. "Well...since I do recall making a Pinkie promise to all of you after my last trip..."

Applejack gasped and her face lit up. "Wait, are you sayin' that...?"

Twilight nodded. "I think such an occasion would the _perfect_ time for me to introduce you all to Canterlot High!" She announced to her friends, who all cheered.

"YES!" Rainbow Dash leapt off her throne and shot through the air like a rocket. "FINALLY! We get to see the human world!"

"Oooohhh! I'm so nervexicted!" Pinkie was literally shaking.

"That's _still_ not a word Pinkie!" Applejack corrected her before turning to Twilight. "But Ah agree with Rainbow Dash, it's about time ya got around to showin' us this other world"

"Ooh, and what a perfect opportunity to do so!" Rarity purred excitedly from her throne. Then her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my gosh, I feel an idea coming along!"

"I'm glad you said that Rarity" Twilight commented. "Because there's something we need to do before we can go"

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, looking confused.

"Well, I've been writing back and forth with Sunset for a while now." Twilight explained, using her magic to hold up the journal she used to contact Sunset "And from what I've been reading, it sounds like Sunset might be getting a little homesick, like she misses Equestria." Twilight set the book down on the table, " So I think that we should all bring something from Equestria with us, as a gift"

"Oh, Twilight" Rarity's smile grew until it reached her ears. "That is _so_ generous of you"

"It's right nice of ya" Applejack agreed and the rest of her friends nodded.

"Thanks girls" Twilight smiled, then her face took on a serious expression. "Now, I still need to make arrangements, so I'm counting on the rest of you to each have something ready by tomorrow. Can you do it?"

"In my sleep!" Rainbow Dash crowed from above

"Yes indeedily!" Pinkie smirked

"Uh huh" Applejack and Fluttershy nodded

"Oh ph! Say no more!" Rarity scoffed, rising from her throne and trotting towards the door. "I have an idea _already_!" Then she suddenly paused and turned back, looking a little sheepish. "Um, could I maybe borrow that photograph of Sunset Shimmer please?"

"Sure" Twilight used her magic to float the picture over to Rarity, who caught it in her own.

"Perfect, ta ta!" Rarity sang out as she trotted through the door, closely followed by all the others, who were talking excitedly among themselves, leaving Twilight and Spike alone in the room.

"Uh Twilight, are you sure that taking all of them through the portal is a good idea?" Spike asked, looking somewhat nervous.

"Of course it is Spike" Twilight gave her number one assistant a smile as she rose from her throne. "And anyway, I Pinkie promised that I would, and you _know_ that a Pinkie promise can't be broken"

Spike shuddered. "Well yeah, that's true. But still, I don't like it" He added as he followed Twilight out of the room and down one of the halls. "It was strange enough last time when there were two of you and two of Sunset, I don't even wanna _think_ about what could happen if there are two sets of all our friends in one place"

"Oh Spike, I'm just bringing my friends from here over to meet my friends there" Twilight huffed as they strolled down the corridor to her bedroom. "It's just a harmless little get together, what could possibly go wrong?"

"You _really_ want me to answer that?" Spike replied sarcastically.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she walked into her bedroom, but otherwise made no sign that she had heard Spike. Spotting the magical journal on the mantle, she used her magic to levitate the book over to her as she sat down at her desk. "Are you going to get Sunset a gift, Spike?" She asked, a she levitated a quill out of a nearby jar.

"You think I should?" Spike looked up at her.

"I don't see why not. After all, it's not every human that gets a present from a baby dragon" Twilight replied, using her magic to flip open the journal to an empty page.

"True, but what could I get her? I don't even know what human girls like?" Spike scratched his head.

"Oh I'm sure you'll think of something" Twilight said as she levitated a quill and ink bottle off of her desk. "Maybe you should ask Rarity if she has any ideas. If you remember, she and her human counterpart often think the same way."

"Hey yeah!" Spike brightened. "I'll go ask her right now!"

Twilight giggled as Spike dashed out of the room. That dragon would take _any_ excuse to spend more time with Rarity. Turning back to the journal in front of her, she dipped the quill in the ink and began to write

 _Dear Sunset Shimmer_

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **Sorry for the delay, this took a little longer than expected! But I wanted to flesh out the Shadowbolts a little because they are going to play a big part in the story later on (Spoiler Alert)**

 **I also wanted to touch up on Starlight's history, which points to the price of Crystal Prep's success. In the original film, the Shadowbolts cared only for themselves in the beginning, and didn't get excited about anything they didn't do themselves, and I wanted to mirror that concept, but with a twist. So, how'd I do?**

 **Writing like this is trickier than you might think because emotional thoughts and moods like this can change in an instant (or at least they do for me) and it's hard to hold a feeling long enough to find the right words to describe it. But I'm trying my best!**

 **Read and Review! I enjoy getting comments!**

 **Until Next Time!**


	6. Chapter 4

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Ch 4**

 **At 'Twilight' and 'Sunset's Laboratory:**

"Sunset? Sunset!" Sunset Shimmer slowly opened her eyes to find her double standing over her, patting her wrist. "Ah good, you're awake!" He exclaimed upon seen Sunset respond.

"Huh? What happened?" Sunset mumbled as she got to her feet, massaging her throbbing head.

"You fell asleep again. That's what happened" 'Twilight' answered, walking over to the couch, followed by the rest of the girls, including Imitae and the Sirens.

"Yeah, you were wriggling around like an earthworm trying to dance!" Pinkie giggled "It was soooooo funny!"

Sunset felt her face flush. "R-really?" She stammered.

"No, not _really_ " Applejack corrected, shooting Pinkie Pie a warning look before turning back to Sunset. "But ya were muttering in yer sleep, somethin' 'bout sunspots, er whatnot?"

"Oh...great" Sunset muttered under her breath, feeling her face redden further. " _I can't tell them about Sunspot",_ she thought as she glanced from one face to another. _"They wouldn't understand"_

"Are you okay, Sunset?" Rainbow Dash asked, cocking her head. "You seem kinda...freaked out"

"I'm fine" Sunset narrowed her eyes at her friend. "I mean, why wouldn't I be? Ever since we were able to bring Imitae around, everything's been great. She's already become the leader of the dramas, from what I've heard" Imitae smiled awkwardly at the unexpected praise.

"Yeah, I hear she really knows how to 'get into' a character" Aria joked, causing every girl to chuckle and Imitae to blush.

"Well, I'm no changeling anymore, but that acting talent never really went away" She replied sheepishly.

"Speaking of acting, how did your job interview go at the theater?" Sunset asked, trying to divert the topic away from her.

"Yeah, you seemed really quiet on the way back" Her double added. Everyone looked at Imitae, who shuffled somewhat uneasily.

"Well...I was gonna wait to tell you, but if you really wanna know..." She said in a defeated voice with her head down, but then she raised it up and her face was full of joy. "I GOT IT! I GOT THE JOB!" She exclaimed, causing everyone to jump.

"Really?" Sunset's eyes widened. "Congratulations!" She smiled as everyone else cheered.

"Yep. Starting tomorrow, I'm a stand in for the acting cast" Imitae told them proudly.

"A stand-in?" Pinkie repeated, looking confused as she glanced around. "But you're not standing in anything"

For a few seconds, everyone stared, then they all burst out laughing. "No Pinkie" Rarity explained in between giggles. "A stand-in is someone who takes the place of a performer when she is unable to perform the role herself."

"The theater head said I was one of the best actresses he'd ever seen." Imitae continued. "He actually seemed a little upset when I turned down his offer to play a leading role"

"Well gee, I could've told you that" Aria rolled her eyes.

"Woah woah, wait a minute! You actually turned _down_ a leading role?" Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. "Why would you do that?"

Imitae's gaze fell to her feet and her smile faded. "I guess it's because I didn't want to draw too much attention to myself. After what happened at the Halloween Dance, I...kinda wanted to just...lie low for a while, ya know?" She gazed up at the others, smiling hopefully at them.

Sunset felt a smile flicker across her face. "I know the feeling," She said simply, causing Imitae to brighten. "I've been there" She added before she could stop herself, and instantly regretted it when Imitae's smile flickered into a frown.

"You _do_ know, don't you Sunset?" She said, taking a step forward and clasping the girl's hand. Sunset felt a wave of calm wash over her.

 _Maybe I was wrong,_ Sunset thought. _Maybe_ Imitae _would understand if I told her the truth. Or maybe one of the Sirens would. After all, we've all consciously done stuff we aren't proud of._

"Well gee, _I_ could've told you that!" Pinkie interrupted loudly, throwing an arm over Imitae's shoulder.

"And _you_ could have told us all this on the bus, you goof!" Adagio scolded gently as she grabbed Imitae and noogied her lightly on the head.

"I wanted to be able to tell everyone at once" Imitae laughed and tried to pull away from Adagio, only to be grabbed from behind by Sonata and Pinkie who enveloped her in what looked like a crushing hug. One by one, the other girls leaped onto the pile of arms and legs until it fell to the floor.

Sunset laughed and made to join in, but held back when she heard a tiny voice in her head. " _Why bother? It won't change what you are. It won't change what you've done, or what you are. Even thought the changeling or the sirens might be able to relate, they won't understand you the way_ I _do, no one will_ " Sunset grit her teeth and tried to push the voice out of her head, but she could hear its mocking laugh echo in her mind.

"Are you okay?" A soft voice at her ear made Sunset glance up. 'Sunset' was standing next to her with a concerned look on her face.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just...thinking about something" Sunset chuckled nervously and smiled at her double.

'Sunset' raised an eyebrow, she did not look convinced.

"Hey! You know what this calls for?" Pinkie exclaimed after she had wriggled her way out of the tangle of bodies. "A PARTY!" With that she threw her hands up in the air, sending a stream of confetti and streamers raining down on her friends. She darted over to her backpack, which lay near the door, reached inside, and to everyone's delight pulled a large cake box out of the bag.

"Pinkie!" Imitae gasped as Pinkie brought the cake box to a nearby table. "Is that for me?"

"Of course it is, silly!" Pinkie giggled, playfully nudging Imitae. "I wanted to be prepared to celebrate you getting your first job here!"

"And what if she hadn't gotten the job?" Sonata asked

"Then this would have been a 'cheer-you-up' cake, which tastes just as good as a 'congratulations' cake" Pinkie explained.

"Oh" Sonata's face brightened as her sisters glanced at each other. "Okay"

"So let's stop yapping and dig in!" Pinkie exclaimed, whipping the lid off the box, revealing a delicious-looking chocolate cake.

"Ooh, Chocolate! My favorite!" Imitae squealed, dashing over to the table.

"Hey, save some for the rest of us!" Sunset called as she dashed over to the table with the other girls, leaving her double standing alone.

'Sunset' shook her head sadly as she watched her twin join the other girls at the table. She didn't care what Sunset said, she knew that something wasn't right with her Equestrian double.

 _She's been acting withdrawn for a while now._ 'Sunset' mused as she watched Pinkie begin to cut the cake. _Twily's noticed it too_ , she added, seeing her lab partner pat Sunset on the shoulder, making the girl jump. _If only she'd tell us what's going on! How can we help her if we can't find out what her problem is?_

Sighing, 'Sunset' made to join the others, but a faint buzzing noise caught her attention. Her hand immediately drifted to her pocket, thinking it was her cell phone, but her phone was silent.

'Sunset' closed her eyes and slowly spun around in an attempt to identify where the sound was coming from. She stopped when she felt something hit her foot. She glanced down to see that Sunset's backpack, which had been open, had tipped over and a large brown book with a red-and-yellow sun emblem on the cover had fallen out. The emblem was flashing and the book itself was vibrating like a cell phone. As 'Sunset' reached down and picked it up, the book shuddered in her hands, so much that she almost dropped it.

"Hey Sunny, where are you?" 'Twilight' called. 'Sunset' glanced up and realized that she was hidden from their sight. "You'd better hurry before Imitae inhales the entire cake!"

"I can't help it!" Imitae whined, making the other girls laugh. "I _looove_ chocolate cake!"

"Be there in a second!" 'Sunset' called humorously. As she straightened up, she cracked open the book to get a better grip on it and the book sprang open in her hands, the pages flipping by themselves until they settled on a particular page. As 'Sunset's eyes scanned the writing on the page, she felt her jaw drop, then her lips curled up into a big smile and she chuckled to herself. _Perfect!_ She thought _If she won't talk to us, then maybe she'll talk to someone else, or should I say, some'pony' else,_ 'Sunset' chuckled to herself as she slipped the book, which had stopped vibrating, into a drawer.

As she made to close the drawer, she paused as something else caught her eye, a photograph showing a younger Sunset standing hand in hand with a young girl with pink skin and purple hair with teal streaks. Both of the girls in the picture were laughing.

'Sunset's smiled faded as she looked at one of the few photographs of her first and former best friend. _This is just like how it happened with Glimmy!_ She thought, and a tear trickled down her cheek. _I have to figure out what's wrong with Sunset, I've got to!_ 'Sunset' placed the photograph back into the drawer and slid it shut. _I don't know if I could handle losing **another** friendship._ She said to herself as she finally joined the others.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, at Crystal Prep:**

"Well, I think that went really well!" Sour Sweet sang out as the six girls filed out of the office. "For the worst presentation ever!" She snapped a second later.

"Tell me about it" Lemon Zest moaned as her bag slumped off her shoulder and fell to the ground. "That was a total nightmare!"

"Maybe _yours_ were" Sunny Flare snorted, running one hand through her hair. "I think _I_ did very well, considering"

"Y _ou?"_ Indigo Zap scoffed. "You were practically reading off of your slides. You could have just said nothing and it would have been more interesting than what you did."

"At least _my_ presentation loaded, unlike _yours"_ Sunny flare replied smugly.

"Oh, enough already!" Starlight exclaimed. "I am getting so tired of listening to you girls bickering all the time!"

"And whose fault is that I wonder?" Sugarcoat retorted, narrowing her eyes at Starlight.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Starlight leaned forward until she and Sugarcoat were nose to nose.

"Be honest Starlight." Sugarcoat pressed. "You're the one that dragged us all into completing this project, even though this technically isn't _your_ project. It was started by Twilight Sparkle, a person you've despised ever since you first came to Crystal Prep and the only reason you're doing this project at all was because she and Sunset Shimmer abandoned it for no particular reason and you saw this as a chance to do something that they could not"

Starlight felt her jaw drop at Sugarcoat's bluntness, which was made even worse by the fact that it was true. Starlight _had_ taken on this project because her two rivals had abandoned it. She had thought that if she could complete something that Twilight and Sunset could not, that it would finally prove that she was just as good as them, if not superior.

Sugarcoat smirked triumphantly as Starlight's gaze fell to the floor. "So in theory, everything bad that's happened, the miss-communication, the long delays, the problems getting along, it's all your fault for dragging us on this stupid mission, to begin with."

Starlight was about to argue back when she heard the door open behind her and Professor Sunburst stepped out. From the look on his face, Starlight could probably guess what the verdict was going to be, but the professor simply motioned to the open door behind him, said "She's waiting for you" and then walked towards the stairwell without another word. She glanced at the other girls, who were all sporting looks that mirrored her own confusion before they filed back into the office.

Inside, Principle Cinch was still sitting behind her desk with Dean Sombra at her side. The principle said nothing but simply pointed to the six chairs, which the girls sat in while Dean Sombra moved to close the office door. "I'm assuming from the look on your faces girls, that you reached the same conclusion we did," Principle Cinch said

The girls meekly nodded.

"Your presentation was, without a doubt, one of the poorest I have _ever_ seen at this school." Principle Cinch continued. "Not only were you unorganized in assembling your presentation, but your performance itself was..." Principle Cinch paused, searching for the right word.

"Dreadful?" Dean Sombra suggested, and the Principle nodded as she clasped her hands together and lay them under her chin.

"Frankly girls, under normal circumstances, you would have failed this assignment dismally" Principle Cinch finished.

"What do you mean, 'under normal circumstances?'" Sugarcoat asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you saying we didn't fail?" Indigo Zap asked, her eyes alight with hope.

"I'm saying you _haven't_ failed... _yet"_ Principle Cinch corrected, her tone on the last word hung over the girls like a veiled threat.

"What do you mean?" Sour Sweet asked, looking a little nervous.

"She means that there may still be an opportunity to salvage your grade" Dean Sombra finished. The girls all felt themselves lean forward eagerly at this.

"Frankly girls, the results of your presentation were most disturbing, not because of how poorly you presented them, but because they seem to point to a conclusion both Dean Sombra and I have been suspecting for some time now" Principle Cinch began. "As you know, Crystal Prep is currently preparing to compete against Canterlot High School in the annual Equestrian Games"

"Yeah, tomorrow!" Indigo Zap jumped in, to the other girl's surprise. _No one_ interrupted Principle Cinch while she was speaking! Indigo Zap quickly realized her mistake and hung her head. "Sorry" she muttered.

To her surprise, Principle Cinch nodded before rising from her chair. "I understand you studied the previous games with much enthusiasm, Indigo Zap. Tell me, can you recall who won?"

Indigo Zap snorted. "Crystal Prep did, duh. We _always_ win"

"Yes, we always win." Principle Cinch repeated as she strode over to a series of shelves full of trophies that lined one of the walls of the room. "But I'll be honest with you girls. It really does not matter to me if Crystal Prep wins or loses"

"It doesn't?" Starlight gasped, not believing her ears. Did Principle Cinch, a woman who firmly believed that being the best was the only way to get ahead in life, just say that winning was _not_ important?

"What matters..." Principle Cinch continued as if Starlight had not spoken. "...is that we are expected to win because the reputation of Crystal Prep demands it" As she spoke, the pulled a golden cup from a shelf and polished it with a handkerchief.

"And it is that reputation, one of success and excellence, that is the backbone for all that this school has accomplished." Dean Sombra spoke up, drawing the girl's attention forward. "It is responsible for everything we have, and everything each of you has done here"

"And, if for some reason, that reputation were to be...tarnished" Principle Cinch continued as she strode back to her chair, having replaced the trophy on the shelf. "Our school could find itself in serious trouble. Without our reputation, we would not be recognized for what we are, and we would not be able to accomplish anything of great importance"

"I see" Starlight said, even though she really didn't think that was how 'reputation' worked.

"We are telling you all this, girls, because your presentation, horrendous as it was, has brought to light concerns that Principle Cinch and I both share regarding recent developments at Canterlot High. Believe it or not, these 'energy readings' you picked up are not the only strange thing that has happened at that school"

"They aren't?" Starlight raised an eyebrow

"Indeed not. Recent reports we have received from the school board indicate that Canterlot High is undergoing something of a...renaissance" Principle Cinch pulled out a piece of paper from a drawer in her desk and scanned it. "Test scores are up, extra-curricular grades, even athletics are on the rise."

"And all this in an extremely short period of time" Dean Sombra added. " _Too_ short, some would say, and considering that Canterlot High's reputation in the past has been as a school where little has been accomplished, the fact that they are able to turn so much of that around in so little time seems...unnatural"

"Thus, we conclude that there must be something...'else' happening at Canterlot High, something that Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna refuse to share. And the results of your 'project' seem to point to that same conclusion" Principle Cinch finished.

"That's all very interesting, but what does it have to do with us?" Sugarcoat asked in her usual bluntness.

"A fair question, Sugarcoat." Principle Cinch paused to adjust her glasses before moving on. "Dean Sombra and I have decided that because your project results have confirmed both of our suspicions, we will give you a chance to redeem yourselves grade-wise."

"To that end, the six of you will officially be joining the team representing Crystal Prep Academy in the Equestrian Games" Dean Sombra finished.

For a few minutes, there was nothing but stunned silence, then Indigo Dash beamed from ear to ear and practically leaped out of her chair, squealing "Are...You... _Serious?"_

"This isn't, like, some kind of joke, is it?" Lemon Zest exclaimed in what appeared to be a state of shock. None of the girls bothered to correct her, they all looked stunned as well.

"I assure you, this is not a joke." Principle Cinch assured them. "However, there is another reason for this decision. Though the six of you will be competing in the games, the true purpose of allowing you six on the team is because this presents us with the perfect opportunity to investigate exactly what Canterlot High is up to. You will use your status as competitors to search the school for anything unusual, something that may be responsible for their...recent uplifting, and report your findings back to either Dean Sombra or myself"

"So basically, you want us to spy on the Wondercolts?" Sunny Flare spoke up for the first time.

"In a word, yes" Dean Sombra nodded at her. "But, if that is a problem for you, then..."

"Are you kidding? Of course, it won't be a problem!" Indigo Zap boasted and the other girls eagerly agreed.

"Then it's settled" Principle Cinch leaned back in her chair, looking satisfied. "We will see you both tomorrow morning, bright and early. You are dismissed" Chatting excitedly with each other, the six girls field out of the office. Once they were gone, the two teachers glanced at each other.

"You didn't tell them everything" Dean Sombra pointed out.

Principle Cinch shook her head. "No need to burden them unnecessarily." She replied simply. "If they can find the source of Canterlot High's recent success, we can use it to further our efforts here at Crystal Prep. But we need to know what that is first." She looked up at Dean Sombra. "Are the scanners ready?"

"They're being completed as we speak" Dean Sombra glanced at his phone, which had been silently vibrating. He smiled. "Correction, they were just finished. I'd better go pick them up"

Principle Cinch nodded as Dean Sombra headed for the door, then stopped him. "One more thing, make sure those six girls are discreet. One of the most important reputations we have here is one of...honesty. And we do _not_ want that reputation soiled because one of them got too adventurous"

"Of course not. I understand completely" Dean Sombra nodded back at her as he closed the door. "Don't worry, I'll make _sure_ they do a good job" He muttered to himself as he strode towards the stairs. Tapping a number on his phone, he held it to his ear as he began walking down the stairs.

" _Yeah?"_ A deep voice answered.

"It's me, have you acquired any of the targets yet?" Dean Sombra asked.

" _I've been following them, but they're always together. I'm having trouble isolating one of them"_

Sombra felt his mouth twinge into a sneer "Do I need to remind you that we're on a time limit here?" He snapped. " No more delays! If you can't isolate one of them by tomorrow, then raid the lab and take them all! We _need_ to secure those girls!"

" _I understand,"_ The voice replied before hanging up.

"Blockhead" Dean Sombra snorted as he rounded the landing, his already dark eyes seemed to glow under the overhead lights. "Why the project hired him is beyond me" He muttered as he started down the stairs, not noticing a pair of eyes watching him.

Starlight stepped out of the alcove she had been hiding in. _Project?_ _Targets?_ _Raiding a lab?_ She wondered as she watched Dean Sombra continue to descend the staircase. _What Dean Sombra up to?_ Starlight had always been suspicious of Dean Sombra, but now she felt downright scared of him. He had sounded like a criminal!

 _Oh, get a grip!_ Starlight shook her head as she started descending the steps. Dean Sombra couldn't really be planning to do something like that. Principle Cinch would never tolerate it! _But then again,_ Starlight paused and glanced back up the stairs. The conversation in Principle Cinch's office echoed in her mind, _Maybe she would._ After all, the principle did believe in victory, but at what cost?

Starlight's mind whirred as she walked back towards the room that served as her laboratory. She needed something to distract her from these nagging thoughts, like a complex mathematics equation. Entering the room, she turned to the whiteboard at the far end of the room, containing several such equations. But as she started working on one, one thought kept coming up. _Who are those girls that Sombra was referring to?_

* * *

 **Meanwhile, at 'Sunset' and Twilight's Laboratory:**

"Bye girls! See you later!" 'Twilight' called from the door as she watched the girls tromp down the stairs, talking among themselves.

"Finally!" 'Sunset' sighed, leaning against the counter. "I thought they'd never leave" As 'Twilight' watched, she reached down and eased open a drawer.

"What are you...?" 'Twilight's voice faded when she saw her lab partner pull out Sunset's journal. "What's that?"

'Sunset' grinned at 'Twilight' "Remember how Sunset once told us that she had a magical journal that she could use to communicate with her friends back in Equestria?"

'Twilight's eyes widened. "You think that's the same journal?"

"I know it is." 'Sunset' opened the journal to the last page with writing on it and set it down on the counter. "Read this" She instructed.

'Twilight' bent over the page and read the following:

 _Dear Sunset Shimmer_

 _I can't believe you didn't tell me that your birthday is two days from now! At least, I hope it's two days away, I'm not sure if time flows at the same rate in your world as it does here in Equestria._

 _Anyway, in honor of this great occasion, I've decided to return to Canterlot High to celebrate with you and the other girls, and I'm bringing my Ponyville friends with me!_

 _We'll be arriving tomorrow morning, probably while you're at school, so we'll meet you by the Wondercolt Statue. I can't wait to see the look on everyone's face when they meet their doppelgangers!_

 _Write me back when you get this._

 _Your friend,_

 _Princess Twilight Sparkle_

"No way" 'Twilight' gasped, raising her eyes from the page to 'Sunset's face. "They're _all_ coming here?"

Looks like it" 'Sunset' replied as her mouth curved up in a Cheshire grin.

"Uh oh. I know that look" 'Twilight' backed up a little, but couldn't help giggling. "What are you thinking of?"

"Twilight" 'Sunset' turned to face her. "Have you noticed my double acting kind of...withdrawn lately?"

'Twilight' paused, thinking back. "Now that you mention it, yeah, she has been acting a bit...moody. I just thought that was part of her personality" She giggled.

'Sunset' raised an eyebrow but still kept her smile on. "I don't think so. At least, based on what I've been seeing. I think Sunset Shimmer still feels guilty about past transgressions."

"You mean about what she used to be? But, that was a long time ago, and everyone knows she's changed for the better. Everyone's accepted the new Sunset" 'Twilight's frown faded.

"Yeah, everyone but her" 'Sunset' knelt down and picked up another picture. "It's one thing to be forgiven for misdeeds by other people, but to be able to forgive yourself, is another thing entirely." As she spoke, the gazed at the picture in her hands with an almost longing expression on her face. The picture showed three girls in white lab coats standing on a stage holding trophies. One was Sunset, one was Twilight, and the third was...

"Starlight Glimmer?" 'Sunset' started at 'Twilight's voice. She had been so lost in thought she hadn't heard the girl come up behind her. "You're still feeling guilty?"

"She was my friend Twi" 'Sunset' ran her fingers longingly over Starlight's face on the picture. "She was one of my best friends, and I lost her"

"Sunny, you didn't lose her, she _chose_ to stop hanging out with you." 'Twilight' corrected. "Besides, you tried to make amends with her, didn't you?"

"Not hard enough, obviously" 'Sunset' muttered, placing the picture back on the shelf. "She wouldn't even talk to me during our last year at Canterlot High unless you count trash talking during science competitions." 'Sunset' strode over to a stool and plopped herself onto it, glancing at the floor. "It was terrible, and the worst part of all was, I don't even know _why_ it happened!" She slammed a fist on the table counter next to her. "What did I do wrong?" 'Sunset' thudded her fist on the table.

For a few moments, there was silence. 'Twilight' opened her mouth to speak, then seemed to think twice and closed it again.

"The point is..." 'Sunset' eventually lifted her head to look at her lab partner. "I know personal guilt when I see it, and my Equestrian twin is carrying a lot of it. That much guilt can be poisonous if left unchecked." 'Sunset' let out a somewhat dramatic sigh as she spoke. "We need to get it out of her."

"Oooh, you sound like you already have an idea" 'Twilight's eyes twinkled as she spoke.

'Sunset's lips curled up from a frown back into a smile. "Well, the way I see it, what better way, to eliminate Sunset Shimmer's guilt for what she did, both here and in Equestria, than by having all her friends from there _and_ here in one place celebrating a happy event like her birthday?"

'Twilight' stared then she laughed. "Oooooohhhh! I like it!" She chortled. "It's perfect!"

"Princess Twilight wants to celebrate Sunset's birthday and she's bringing her friends over." 'Sunset' reasoned. "With the Equestrian Games coming up, no one will blink when they see unfamiliar students walking around Canterlot High."

"But won't people get suspicious if they see two sets of Rainbooms walking around?" 'Twilight' asked?

"We'll have to disguise them, and ourselves as well." 'Sunset' shuddered "Unless there's anyone from Crystal Prep you want to talk to."

"Uhh, no thanks" Now 'Twilight' shuddered, glancing towards the far wall. A Purple-and-black pennant with a red letter S hung from a shelf. "I'm surprised the Rainbooms didn't notice that pennant while they were here. You think we should tell them?"

"That we're both Crystal Prep alumni? Probably not the best idea" 'Sunset' shook her head. "At least, not now. We can tell them after the games are over"

"Okay, so we've got Twilight and her friends coming over and we'll all be in disguise for the games" 'Twilight' giggled happily. "Oh boy, I can't wait to tell Sunset! This is is gonna be so great!"

"Hold on a second," 'Sunset stopped her' "I think we should keep this between ourselves for now. We can tell Imitae and the Sirens, but I don't want any of the Wondercolts learning about this yet"

'Twilight' looked confused. "Why not? Sunset's the whole reason that Princess Twilight is coming over, right? It would make the most sense to tell her beforehand"

"True, but where's the fun in that?" 'Sunset' smirked. "After all, Pinkie would probably agree that it wouldn't be much of a surprise for Sunset if she knows it's coming."

"Oh! Right!" 'Twilight' giggled. "That would be more interesting"

'Sunset' snickered as she added: "Besides, this will give us a rare opportunity to see just how observant the Rainbooms really are."

'Twilight' laughed out loud. "In other words, you just wanna mess with them a little, don't you?"

"Guilty as charged" 'Sunset' laughed as she strode back to the table containing the journal.

"You're evil, you know that, right?" 'Twilight' taunted her lab partner.

'Sunset' snorted as she opened the journal. "Oh, I'm sure there are worse things to be called"

"Betcha it's a short list. I'll go tell the others!" 'Twilight's chuckled as she strode from the room.

'Sunset' chuckled as she picked up a pen and began writing on a blank page. _This is gonna be great!_

 _Dear Princess Twilight,_

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **Sorry that this took so long to get out, but inspiration has been fleeting.**

 **Since we didn't see much of 'Sunset' in Seeing Double, I wanted to make part of this story about her, and how both she and her twin suffer from past decisions they've made. In 'Sunset's case, this would be about her lost friendship with Starlight Glimmer, which may or may not play a part later on in the story.**

 **I also wanted to highlight the reasoning behind Crystal Prep's motives, because they never really made sense to me in the movie. In the film, Principle Cinch tries to manipulate 'Twilight' into releasing the magic even when she sees how dangerous it can be. I think any real teacher with an ounce of common sense would know better.**

 **I also wanted to come up with a different reasoning behind the Shadowbolt's actions. More on that later.**

 **I'll try to get the next chapter out soon, but I make no promises.**

 **Be sure to read and review!**

 **Until Next Time!**


	7. Chapter 5

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Ch 5**

 **In Equestria:**

Princess Twilight was preparing for bed when she saw the journal vibrate and glow. "Yes, finally!" She exclaimed, seizing the book with her magic and opening it.

Spike looked up from his nest bed. "A message from Sunset Shimmer?" He asked.

"Uh huh" Inside was the following message:

 _Dear Princess Twilight,_

 _This is the Human Sunset Shimmer responding to your message._

 _None of us were aware that my double's birthday was coming up either, but I agree that such an event is worth celebrating, especially considering all the stress that my double has been exhibiting recently. In my opinion, I think she still carries guilt from her past misdeeds. I'm worried that, if left unchecked, that guilt could cause something bad to happen to her._

 _In order to help her combat this, I propose we make her birthday a surprise event. Twi and I will meet you when you arrive at CHS tomorrow and we'll give you the details then._

 _FYI, we will be in disguise and we will provide you and your friends with disguises as well. We do not want CHS wondering why there are six pairs of twins running around._

 _Looking forward to seeing you soon!_

 _'Sunset Shimmer'_

Twilight's smile slowly faded as she read the message again.

Spike straightened up in his bed. "Twilight, what's wrong?"

"It's from Sunset's double," Twilight said slowly, setting the journal down.

"The human Sunset?" Spike tilted his head.

Twilight nodded. "And according to her, Our Sunset isn't doing so well."

"What do you mean?"

"'Sunset' seems to think that her twin is still dealing with guilt over what she did before the Fall Formal." Twilight explained as she climbed into her bed.

Spike scoffed "That's crazy! The Fall Formal was a long time ago! Everyone's gotta know by now that Sunset's a good person!"

"Everyone except Sunset herself, apparently" Twilight sighed.

"I don't get it" Spike scratched his head.

Twilight thought for a moment."It's like when we helped Princess Luna defeat the Tantabus, remember that?"

Spike grinned. "Oh yeah, I remember that all right" He began flexing imaginary muscles and Twilight giggled.

"The point is, remember how Princess Luna created the Tantabus to punish herself for what she did as Nightmare Moon? Well, it sounds like Sunset is feeling the same kind of guilt" Twilight explained as she fluffed her pillow.

"Oh" Spike's grin faded as Twilight's words sank in. "Well, I guess it's a good thing that you're going to Canterlot High in the morning. You can help Sunset deal with her guilt"

"I hope you're right, Spike" Twilight smiled at the dragon, but she still felt worried. "Because the last thing we need is for someone or something to take advantage of this"

* * *

 **The Following Morning:**

 **At Crystal Prep:**

Starlight Glimmer dashed down the street, quietly cursing herself as she ran. Why did she have to oversleep TODAY of all days? As Starlight rounded a corner, the saw that the large black buses the school used were still in the parking lot and sighed with relief. She wasn't late after all.

As Starlight approached the buses, she saw that the other members of her research team were standing near the back of the nearest bus with Dean Sombra, who looked up and locked eyes with her. "There you are!" He barked and the other girls spun to look at her, each one wearing a highly annoyed look.

"You're late" Sugarcoat snapped.

"Sorry, I overslept" Starlight knew it was a lame excuse, but it was the truth. She had spent half the night being plagued by extremely vivid dreams that she had been unable to explain, causing her to keep waking up in a cold sweat.

"That figures" Sour Sweet muttered.

"What was that?" Starlight asked, narrowing her eyes.

Sour Sweet's face brightened. "Oh, I meant that it's perfectly natural for you to oversleep." She purred in an angelic voice. "Considering how stressed out you must be about this project" Next to her, Sunny Flare smirked and Lemon Zest covered her mouth in a vain attempt to hide a giggle.

"Starlight is right to feel concerned." Dean Sombra spoke up, cutting off Starlight's response. "In fact, you should all be treating this project with great concern. This is your chance to make up for your disastrous presentation the other day. Your _only_ chance" His narrowed eyes and hardened tone helped drive the point home. "I expect each of you to be at your best, both in the competition and with your research. Speaking of which..." The dean knelt down to a cardboard box at his feet and opened it. "When we get to Canterlot High, I expect each of you to keep your eyes open for any signs of unusual activity. Take note of what you see, then report back to me regularly."

"But how will we, like, know unusual activity when we see it?" Lemon Zest asked.

"A fair question" Dean Sombra answered as he straightened up. Hanging from his hands were six devices that resembled compacts. "And to answer it, you'll be using these. These EM devices were created based on the data you've already gathered. You can use them to track any bizarre energy you may find at Canterlot High. I expect you to keep them on you at all times, understood?" He explained as he passed one to each of the girls.

"How do they work?" Indigo Zap asked, examining hers.

"Just hold them up, and they do the rest. They're already on mode" Dean Sombra explained, he pointed to the top of the device. "This face acts like a compass, it should point exactly to where an energy signal is coming from, allowing you to track it to its source. Once you've found the source, press the center button to take a reading"

"But why would we need to track the energy at all?" Sugarcoat looked a little confused. "Wouldn't it be just as good to take readings from different points around campus?"

"It would certainly be easier" Sunny agreed, examining her nails. "I do _so_ hate getting my hands dirty with extra work"

Dean Sombra's eyes narrowed, but his face didn't change. "Yes it would, but this way you will be able to get the most accurate readings possible," He said finally. "And if you are truly serious about salvaging your grade..." He paused while he let these words sink in. "Then doing a little 'extra work' shouldn't be a problem for you."

Starlight's smile grew as she realized what the Dean was getting at. "Dean Sombra's right. If we can get enough data on these energy frequencies, we may be able to extrapolate their wavelengths in order to determine their point of origin, a presentation like that would practically guarantee us getting an A" The other girls, who all had had blank looks on their faces, brightened up when Starlight mentioned getting an 'A'.

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to get our hands a _little_ dirty" Sunny mused, staring at her nails.

Before anyone could reply, the bus next to them suddenly started up with a growl, belching a cloud of smoke from its exhaust. "Ok, get loaded up. Remember, keep those devices with you at all times and I expect regular reports!" Dean Sombra called as the six girls scampered towards the bus. As he turned to head towards another one, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and then turned away from the buses before answering. "Are you in position?"

" _Getting set up now"_ A deep voice responded.

"Good, remember I want the girls unharmed, understand?" Dean Sombra chose his words carefully.

" _Perfectly. I'll be gentle with 'em"_ The voice growled. " _But not too gentle"_ He added, along with a dark chuckle before hanging up.

 **Meanwhile, at 'Twilight' and 'Sunset's lab:**

"Well, how do I look?" 'Twilight' asked, spinning around in front of the mirror to face Imitae and the Sirens.

"You look different" Sonata replied, causing the others to roll their eyes but she was right. 'Twilight' had changed out of her usual clothes and was now wearing a sky-blue shirt with a white cloud on it and a pair of blue jeans that extended down to the pale white boots she was wearing. Her purple hair was tucked under a white wig and though she still wore her glasses, she had used contact lenses to change her eye color to gray. In addition to this, she had used makeup to lighten the color of her face from purple to a light pale pink.

"Thanks" 'Twilight' replied, raising the pitch of her voice as she spoke, to disguise it. "But please, call me Cirrus Cloud. I'm a shy prospective transfer student from Baltimare" She assumed a shy, submissive posture in front of the mirror, with her head bowed low and her arms clasped behind her back.

"Wow! And I thought the Equestrian Twilight was a good actor" Sonata laughed.

"Not that we're not enjoying this Twi, but why are you in disguise again?" Aria asked, chuckling herself.

"Probably because she doesn't want Canterlot High to know that there will soon be two Twilight's walking around." Adagio theorized, then shook her head. "Believe me, one Twilight is bad enough"

"Hey!" 'Twilight' frowned at them, making the sirens laugh.

"She's only kidding Twilight" Imitae soothed.

"Sunset? You all set?" 'Sonata' called out, glancing towards the door that led to the rooms where they slept.

"Yeah, just a second!" 'Sunset's voice responded from behind the closed door, which slowly opened and 'Sunset' stepped out. "Well? What do you think?"

Five sets of eyes opened wide and four jaws dropped open. "Wow! 'Sunset' you look amazing!" Sonata gasped

"Y-you think so?" 'Sunset' shifted nervously from side to side, glancing down at her disguise, which consisted of a burnt-red sleeveless top and a golden-colored mini-skirt. 'Sunset's top came down to just above her belly button, exposing her navel. Spiked black bands ringed her wrists and her nails had been painted black to match the black high-heeled boots she wore. 'Sunset's regular hair was tucked under a bright red wig with black streaks, she had applied makeup to make her skin darker colored and colored contact lenses to change her eyes from blue to gold. "This isn't exactly my preferred choice of clothing." She added, walking beside 'Twilight' to check her appearance in the mirror.

"You look fine Sunset. No one will even recognize you" 'Twilight' assured her.

"Especially if you can alter your voice the way Twilight did" Imitae added, coming forward with a black leather jacket.

'Sunset' thought for a minute as she took the jacket from Imitae, then cleared her throat. "You mean, like this," She asked, in a voice that was higher pitched and boasted a strong English accent.

"Something like that, yes" Adagio replied, giggling.

"Nu-uh" Imitae shook her head firmly. "It's a good voice, but it just doesn't match your outfit. You need something more laid back, something that goes better with your style. "

"Hmmm...oh I know!" 'Twilight spoke up. "How about a Beverly Hoofs accent?"

'Sunset' rolled her eyes. "Oh no, like seriously?" She spoke in a California-style accent. "You want me to, like, sound like _this_? That would be so _totally_ embarrassing for me!"

For a few seconds, there was stunned silence, then all the girls burst out laughing. "That's perfect! Keep that!" 'Twilight' cried out between laughs.

"Like, what is everyone laughing about?" 'Sunset' asked in her new voice. "It's, like, soooo not funny!" But a second later, she started laughing too. "Oh man, it's going to be hard to keep a straight face doing that!"

"Keep working on it, you'll be fine" Imitae giggled, patted 'Sunset' on the shoulder. "What are you gonna call yourself?"

'Sunset' thought, then smiled. "Obviously, I'm like, Scarlet Fire, from Las Pegasus, duh!" She exclaimed in her new voice and giving her hair a dramatic flip as she spoke, which lead to more laughing.

"Scarlet Fire, I like that!" Imitae chuckled.

"I know! It like, totally suits me, doesn't it?" 'Scarlett' agreed.

"Uh, I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't you two be going?" Aria interrupted, glancing at her watch.

"She's right" 'Sunset' agreed after glancing at her own watch. The two girls grabbed their bags and began to head for the door.

"Okay, so we'll see the four of you at CHS after the Equestrian Games are over, okay?" 'Sunset' called back.

"Right. We'll be there" Adagio nodded

"Make sure to lock up!" 'Twilight' added as they bolted through the door.

"We will!" Imitae dashed to the door to see the two girls head down the stairs. "Have a good time!" She called down after them before closing the door. Turning back to the sirens, she let out a big sigh. "Well"

"I swear, I'll never understand humans" Adagio shook her head. Sonata laughed out loud while Aria rolled her eyes.

 **Outside:**

In a large white van outside, three pairs of eyes were watching the laboratory.

"What's keeping them?" a deep voice growled.

"Relax" A feminine voice spoke up "They'll be out soon enough"

"And if they don't come out?" The first voice asked.

"They have to" The second voice replied. "They all have commitments"

"Hey, we've got movement" A third voice cut into the argument. All three figures peered out the tinted windows of the van. "They just came out of the building"

"Who are they?" The first voice asked as they watched two girls, one with red hair and one with white hair, walk by.

"Don't know" The first voice growled. "Never seen them before"

"I'll take a reading," The third voice said.

"Forget them," The second voice cut him off as everyone heard a sudden series of beeps. "It's the boss, he says time's up. We raid the lab"

"Finally!" The first voice growled, his delight only too evident.

 **Inside:**

"So, have you decided what you're getting Sunset for her birthday yet?" Imitae asked as she posed in front of the mirror.

"No, not yet" Adagio admitted. "To be honest, I'm kinda out of ideas"

"Really? That's a shock" Aria jabbed.

Adagio frowned at her sister. "Hey, give me a break. Buying gifts is new to me!"

"Yeah, normally we were the ones _getting_ the gifts" Sonata added, rummaging through her bag. "Hey, you think she'd like something like this?" She pulled out a pendant with a red jewel on it. It looked similar to the ones that each of the three sirens was wearing. "I made it back when we were making ours"

Aria's eyes narrowed as she examined the jewelry. "Somehow, I don't think so, Sonata" She said.

Sonata shrugged and kept rummaging through her bag.

"Hmm, looks like none of us have any good ideas" Imitae frowned, rubbing her chin. "Maybe the four of us should go shopping together. That way we can bounce ideas off of each other and help pick out suitable gifts"

Adagio looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm game," She said, turning to her sisters. "How about you two?"

"Count me in!" Sonata piped up, leaping to her feet.

Ara rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine, but just remember that we all have to work this afternoon, this can't take too long"

"Oh, I'm sure it won't" Adagio assured her.

 _Knock, Knock!_

All four girls froze as someone knocked on the door of the laboratory.

"Anyone expecting company?" Aria asked.

Adagio, Imitae, and Sonata all shook their heads.

 _Bang! BANG!_ The girls jumped as someone pounded on the door.

"Sh-should we answer it?" Imitae asked nervously.

"M-maybe we shouldn't. Maybe they'll go away" Sonata peeked out from behind a counter.

BANG! BANG! BANG! The thumping got louder and more urgent.

"They're gonna break the glass at this rate!" Adagio exclaimed.

"Oh for goodness sake, I'll get it!" Aria suddenly stood up, strode over to the door and yanked it open. "Hey!" She shouted. "Could you possibly knock any...louder?" Aria's voice suddenly gave out. The other three girls gasped.

Standing in the doorway was a massive man with red skin and wild black hair. He had a full beard and evil-looking black eyes. A golden ring went through his nose.

Aria quickly made to close the door, but the man placed a hand on it and shoved. Aria was thrown backward to the floor as the large man squeezed through the doorframe and stepped into the lab

"Who are you?" Imitae demanded. "What do you want?"

The man smiled. "My name is Tirek, and you four girls need to come with me"

Adagio snorted and folded her arms. "I don't think we want to go with you," She said and the other girls nodded ascent.

"I'm afraid you have no choice," Tirek said as he raised a beefy hand and snapped two thick fingers. Before the girls could blink, no fewer than several men in dark combat gear burst through the door.

"What the...?" Aria gasped before one of the troopers tackled her to the ground. "Girl's run!" Aria screamed

"Run where?" Sonata cried out, and indeed, there was nowhere to run to. Within seconds, the four girls were seized and pinned to the floor.

"Unhand us!" Adagio cried out.

"What are you doing?" Imitae cried out. "You can't do this to us, we have rights!"

Tirek laughed. "Rights are for citizens sweetie, and I know for a fact that none of you fill that category"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonata asked, but Tirek ignored her.

"Fan out!" He barked to the soldiers. "Tear the place apart if you have to, find me the scientists and the energy source!"

"Yes, Sir!" The man scattered. A group of them broke down the door that lead to the girl's sleeping quarters and disappeared inside while the rest of them began to scour the lab, opening drawers and cupboards and flipping through notebooks. Several of the men were holding what looked like scanners and they beeped as the men swept them around the room.

"What's going on?" Imitae whispered to the others as they watched the soldiers ransack the lab.

"I don't know" Adagio shrugged, wincing as her captor pressed down harder on her.

"It looks like they're looking for something," Sonata said. She was watching the soldier's process with bemused interest.

"Gee, ya think?" Arai snapped at her sister.

"Do you see that weird symbol on their outfits?" Sonata continued. "It looks kinda creepy"

Imitae couldn't argue with that. Each of the soldiers had the same insignia on their shoulder. A black spiral with a vertical eye in the center. Imitae shivered, it looked like the eye was staring right at her.

"You think these people are policemen?" Imitae wondered aloud.

Aris shook her head. "If they are, they're not normal policemen. They look more like a SWAT team"

"But what do they want with us?" Sonata asked. "We haven't done anything wrong!"

"Shh, quiet!" Adagio shushed them as one of the soldiers emerged from the doorway and approached Tirek.

"Sir!" He said, saluting. "We've swept through every room. No one else on the premises"

Tirek frowned. "Impossible, check again!" He barked. The soldier nodded and dashed back through the doorway.

"Sir!" Another soldier, this one holding a scanner, stepped forward and saluted. "We've detected strong traces of magical energy in this room that match the readings from Starlight Glimmer's research, but no definite hotspots, if the source was here, it's not here now"

Imitae and Adagio exchanged a glance. _Magical energy?_ Did these thugs know about Equestrian magic?

"Impossible!" Tirek roared. "We had the building completely surrounded, there's no way anything could have gotten past us!" He grabbed the scanner from the man and glared down at the tiny screen.

"Aww, did the big scary ape-man not find what he was looking for?" Sonata teased, "Too bad! So sad!"

"Shut up Sonata!" Aria snapped as Tirek spun to look at them, his face livid. Sonata gulped nervously and clammed up.

"Sir!" The first soldier came back, along with two others. He saluted. "We've gone through every room twice. All accounts are negative. Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer are not here"

"Unacceptable!" Tirek through the scanner to the floor, causing it to shatter. "Where are they?" He roared

"We..we don't know sir" The soldier replied hesitantly. Though his face wasn't visible, he clearly sounded nervous.

The four girls looked at each other. Were these thugs after Twilight and Sunset's research? Or were they after the Star Stone pieces? Imitae suddenly felt grateful that 'Twilight' and 'Sunset' had taken the Star Stone pieces with them when they had left.

 _I'd hate to think what would happen if these thugs got their hands on the Star Stone's power._ Imitae thought as she watched Tirek clench his fists angrily. She could swear that she heard the man's teeth grinding together.

Suddenly, Tirek turned and looked at the four girls. Imitae bit her lip as his hateful gaze swept between them. He finally pointed to Imitae and the former changeling was yanked roughly to her feet and brought forward.

"Tell me. Where did Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer go?" Tirek leaned down until he was eye-to-eye with Imitae.

Imitae felt like wincing as she gazed into Tirek's pitch-black eyes, but her acting training came to her rescue. She adopted a stoic look and said, in a calm voice, "I have no idea where they went"

"You little liar!" Tirek growled and reached out. His thick fingers found Imitae's cheeks and the girl cried out as he pinched them hard.

"Hey, cut that out!" Adagio demanded.

"Yeah, leave Imitae alone!" Sonata added. Aria didn't say anything, she just growled angrily and made another futile attempt to break out her her captor's grip.

Triek, still holding Imitae's cheeks, lifted his gaze to the others."I'll ask again, where did Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer go?" Tirek demanded, his gaze moving from one siren to another.

All three sirens glared back at him. None of them spoke.

Tirek snorted. "You wanna do this the hard way? Fine!" He threw Imitae to the floor. "Gag these four and put them in the truck, then strip this place down!" He ordered.

"Yes Sir!" The soldiers sprang into action. The four complaining girls were pinned to the floor once again. Their hands were bound with strong rope and cloths were tied tightly across their mouths, keeping them from speaking.

As the four girls were yanked to their feet, they watched helplessly as other soldiers began ransacking the lab. Papers and devices were pulled from drawers and dumped into plastic bags. Some soldiers took crowbars to the big machines, ripping them apart, unleashing geysers of sparks. Test tubes shattered and clouds of smoke began to fill the room.

"Prisoners secured, sir!" One of the men barked, saluting. Tirek nodded at him and snapped his fingers. The girls were forced out the door and onto the stairwell. As they were marched down the stairs, still squirming, the girls could hear loud bangs coming from the lab above.

Suddenly, a door in the landing below opened and an angry-looking man stepped out. The girls had seen him before, he was one of the few other tenants in the building.

"Hey!" He yelled, "What's all the ruckus abo...?"

All four girls cried out as one of the soldiers lashed out, striking the man in the jaw, knocking him out. The man crumpled, falling into the hands of another soldier who carried him back through the open doorway. He appeared a few seconds later and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Poor fool should have minded his own business" Tirek snorted as he came down the stairs.

"MMMMMM-MMMMMMMM-MMM!" Imitae whimpered, glaring at Tirek.

"I wouldn't worry about him sweetheart" Tirek smiled in a way that made Imitae cringe. "I'd worry more about yourselves. Project Tantabus has big plans for you four Equestrians, and I imagine they will be _quite_ painful" Tirek laughed as all four girl's eyes widened simultaneously and they began struggling against their bindings with renewed vigor, screaming into their gags.

Tirek was still laughing as the girls were finally marched out the front door to a waiting truck. The girls were unceremoniously tossed into the back. Three soldiers climbed into the back of the truck with them and the doors slammed shut, cutting off all climbed into the front of the vehicle and the truck's tires squealed as it raced away from the lab and the destruction still unfolding inside.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, In Equestria:**

Twilight Sparkle grunted as she used her magic to adjust the strap of the saddlebag that hung from her back, tightening it in anticipation for the trip through the portal. She knew that the experience would be rough and she did not want to risk losing her gifts for Sunset. Smiling giddily, she checked each flap for her two gifts for Sunset Shimmer's birthday.

"Twilight!" Twilight glanced up as the door to the library burst open and her friends all entered. "Oh good!" Rainbow Dash sighed with relief upon seeing her. "I thought we were too late!"

"Oh come on Rainbow!" Twilight chuckled. "You know I wasn't going to leave without you"

"Ah told her that!" Applejack panted, glancing coldly up at the pegasus "But she insisted on hurryin' us all up!"

"Well, at least you're all here now" Twilight smiled at them.

"Personally, I could have used a little more time" Rarity huffed. "I haven't had a chance to style my mane yet. I simply _cannot_ travel between dimensions looking like this" She gestured to her mane which, in Twilight's opinion, didn't look any different than usual, but she knew better than to say that to Rarity.

"Do you all have your gifts?" Twilight asked, hoping to dissolve an argument

Everypony nodded. "What's your gift, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm giving her these" Twilight levitated the two books out of her saddlebags to show them.

"Books? Wow, that's a big surprise!" Rainbow Dash scoffed, earning a dark look from Twilight.

"This book is a copy of the first Daring Do adventure." Twilight continued "And this one is a copy of the friendship journal we've all been keeping"

"Why are ya givin' her that?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because according to her twin, Sunset's been feeling more and more guilty about what she did before the Fall Formal, I thought that showing her all the lessons we had learned about friendship might help. And I imagine Imitae and the Sirens might enjoy reading it as well.

"Wow, that's really thoughtful of you, Twilight" Fluttershy commented.

"Thanks Fluttershy" Twilight nodded at her friend "What are you giving Sunset?"

Fluttershy reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a long red-and-yellow object. "A friendship necklace!" She exclaimed, holding it up for the others to see. "I had some of my animal friends help me make it out of silk and string, some of my bird friends even donated their feathers, which we painted to match Sunset's hair.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive" Twilight smiled at the pale yellow Pegasus, making her blush.

Rainbow Dash seemed to gag. "Pulleeze! That's gotta be one of the lamest presents I've ever seen!"

"Oh really, and what are _you_ bringing her?" Fluttershy snapped back, which made Rainbow's eyes widen in surprise. Realizing what she had just done, Fluttershy shrank back, looking embarrassed.

"Only the best possible gift ever!" Rainbow Dash cried as she opened her own saddlebag and pulled out what looked like a trophy of a pegasus in a Wonderbolts uniform.

"Isn't that one of _your_ trophies?" Rarity asked. Applejack snickered.

"Nope" Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I got this sweet thing from Spitfire herself. She was gonna throw it away, can you believe it?"

"But why?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow dash giggled. "Funny story behind that. I was actually going to get the Wonderbolts autographs for Sunset Shimmer, but then I learned about this trophy, which had been made for Soren. It was supposed to look like him, but...it doesn't really, does it?"

"Nope" The ponies shook their heads.

"So since Spitfire couldn't give it to Soren, I asked her if I could have it and she said yes" Rainbow Dash finished. "Besides, based on what you've been telling us Twilight, Sunset Shimmer's been going through some tough times. It'll be nice for her to feel a sense of accomplishment."

"Wow, that's...actually pretty thoughtful Rainbow Dash" Twilight commented, and the other ponies agreed.

"I know. I know" Rainbow Dash smugly smiled as she landed "Can I pick the perfect gift, or what?" She boasted, causing everypony assembled to roll their eyes.

"What about you, Applejack?" Twilight turned to the farm pony.

"I'm givin' her these" Applejack opened the sack at her hooves, revealing a bunch of smaller sacks. "Seeds of every kind of tree, flower, and plant that we have at Sweet Apple Acres. Hopefully, Sunset can find space at her house to grow a few of 'em."

"That's very thoughtful Applejack, but I think most of these plants are ones she already has access to." Twilight pointed out. "Plus I've actually never seen sunset's house, so I'm not sure she has the space to grow anything.

Applejack just shrugged. "Maybe, but it's the thought that counts, right?"

"True" Twilight admitted, before turning to Rarity, who was practically skipping with excitement. "Rarity, what are you bringing?"

"Well Twilight, if you _must_ know" Rarity tossed her head dramatically, making Twilight chuckle. "I've been working tirelessly all night to construct... _this!"_ Using her magic, she levitated a beautiful red-and-gold silk scarf for them to see.

"A scarf?" Rainbow Dash bluntly pointed out. "You spent all night making a scarf?"

"Well, I _was_ planning to make a dress" Rarity admitted, as she laid the scarf on a table. "But then I realized that I wasn't familiar with pony-to-human configurations, and I didn't want to risk upsetting her if the dress didn't work out. Luckily, it seems that scarves such as this are worn by both ponies and humans in the same way, so I'm certain she'll like it." Despite saying this, Rarity's voice betrayed her disappointment.

"Don't worry Rarity, I'm sure your human twin will be more than happy to help you make a dress for Sunset," Twilight assured her and Rarity brightened up upon hearing this.

"Wait a minute!" Fluttershy suddenly exclaimed as she ran her hoof along the scarf. "I recognize this material. Isn't this the same gold silk that you used for that order of capes that one time?"

Rarity nodded sheepishly. "I had a feeling _you_ might remember, Fluttershy. Another reason why I was up most of the night. This silk was hoof-made, and believe me, it is _not_ easy to make." She directed that last phrase towards Rainbow Dash, who just shrugged.

"Huh, my gift's still better."

"And Pinkie? What are you getting her?" Twilight turned to the pink earth pony, who had been unusually quiet. "Pinkie?" Twilight cocked her head when she saw that Pinkie was staring at the ground muttering to herself.

"Hmmm?" The pink pony glanced up at them. "What did you say?"

"I said, what are you getting Sunset for her birthday?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, well, I'm _bringing_ her these" She held up a tray that appeared out of nowhere, with several cupcakes on it, covered in red-and-yellow frosting. "But my _actual_ present for her will be to help my double throw her the biggest bestest birthday party _ever!_ "

 _"_ I'm sure you'll both do an excellent job, but remember though, this is supposed to be a _surprise_ party" Twilight reminded them what the letter had said. "Sunset doesn't know we're coming, and we need to keep the secret for as long as we can, okay?"

"Okay!" Five voices replied in unison.

"All right, enough chatting! Let's get this show on the road!" Rainbow Dash turned towards the mirror that housed the portal to Canterlot High, but paused when Rarity suddenly cried out.

"Wait! Where's Spike?"

"I don't know" Twilight replied, realizing that she hadn't seen hr number one assistant since the previous night.

"Here I am!" The doors to the room suddenly burst open and Spike appeared, out of breath, and hunched over.

"Spike! Where have you been!" Twilight asked, levitating the dragon over to her. "And what have you got there?" She continued, noticing the small item clutched in his claws.

Spike glanced up at her, his face beaming and he opened his claws. "Just a little something for Sunset"

"Woah!" Six pony voices exclaimed in awe. Sitting in Spike's open hand was a beautiful golden-colored jewel that seemed to glow like a tiny sun.

"Spike, what is that?" Rarity's voice was hushed as she gazed at the jewel.

"A SunStar, a kind of gemstone," Spike explained proudly. "They're very rare"

"Rare is an understatement!" Twilight's eyes were as wide as dinner-plates. "Spike, where in Equestria did you get that?"

"From the diamond dogs," Spike replied

" _The Diamond Dogs?"_ The six ponies shrieked in unison.

"That's why I was so late getting back. I was wheeling and bartering with the Diamond Dogs all night long in order to get this." Spike explained, looking a little embarrassed. "I was kinda hoping to make it into a necklace before you left. Is there enough time?"

"We were just about to..." Twilight paused when Pinkie suddenly cried out.

"Look!" She squealed, pointing to the enchanted journal laying on the table, which was glowing and vibrating. Twilight used her magic to open the book and flip through the pages until she saw three glowing words.

' _We Are Waiting'_

"They're waiting for us," She told the others as she closed the book and levitated it over to the contraption that surrounded the mirror. "We have to go now"

"Ooooh, this is gonna be so fun!" Pinkie squealed, jumping up and down.

Twilight turned towards the mirror again and was closing her eyes when the doors to the library suddenly burst open again with a loud bang. "What now?" She demanded, spinning back around, but her anger faded when she saw Princess Luna standing in the doorway.

"Princess Luna!" Every other pony bowed before the princess of the night.

"Ah, good! I see you have not yet departed for the human world" Princess Luna said, sounding relieved.

"We were just about to" Twilight replied.

"Then it is most fortunate that I arrived in time" Princess Luna smiled as she entered the room.

"Why? Is there a problem?" Twilight's eyes widened in alarm.

Princess Luna chuckled. "Of course not, Twilight Sparkle. My sister and I simply wanted to ensure that you received our gift for Sunset Shimmer before you left." She used her horn to levitate a package wrapped in blue and gold paper over to Twilight.

"Thanks. I'm sure she'll love it." Twilight took the gift with her own magic and tucked it into one of her saddlebags.

"Great! We've got everything! Let's go!" Spike strolled towards the mirror, only to be yanked back by Princess Luna's magic.

"I'm sorry Spike, but you must remain here," Princess Luna said.

"What? Why?" Spike exclaimed, looking both surprised and annoyed.

"Because I require your help in Canterlot. Representatives from the Crystal Empire will soon be arriving in Canterlot for an important meeting and I need you there to help me oversee the meeting." Princess Luna explained.

"But...why me? Why not Princess Celestia?" Spike scratched his head.

"Two reasons Spike, the first is that to the Crystal Ponies, you are Spike the Brave and Glorious, and I think the Crystal Ponies would prefer that you were there" Princess Luna explained.

"Well, when you put it like that" Spike grinned, causing Twilight to chuckle.

"And the second reason?" Maybe it was Twilight's imagination, but Luna's smile suddenly seemed to widen.

"The second reason is that my sister is currently not in Canterlot, and I do not expect her to return in time to attend the meeting" Princess Luna explained.

Now Twilight looked confused. "Where is she?"

Princess Luna shook her head. "I'm afraid I could not tell you. She departed yesterday on what she called an 'extremely important diplomatic mission'. All I know is that she left without taking any of her guards with her.

"Huh, that's strange," Rarity said. "Why would she go off on her own, without an escort?"

"Maybe she just wanted a day off" Pinkie suggested. "Even royalty needs a break every now and then"

"I believe you may be correct" Princess Luna nodded at Pinkie Pie. "Perhaps all this talk of Sunset Shimmer has gotten her reminiscing. If you recall, Sunset Shimmer used to be her prize student before she went her own way."

The other five ponies nodded understandably, but Twilight looked disappointed. "I was really hoping Princess Celestia might come with us. I think it would be great for her and Sunset to see each other again. You all saw how happy she was when she read Sunset's letter, remember?" Twilight thought back to when she had returned from her last trip to Canterlot High.

"My sister's reasons are her own, Twilight Sparkle" Princess Luna's eyes seemed to twinkle as she spoke. "But she said to tell you that she wishes you luck...as do I"

"Thank you Princess Luna" Twilight smiled as she used her magic to levitate the journal into its place on the portal. "Is everypony ready?"

"Ready!" Five voices chorused.

"Okay, here we go" Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated. Magic flowed from her horn into the book, and then out into the machine. Pink and Purple energy swirled through the presses and hoses that ringed the mirror, which beeped and whistled, before diving into the glass of the mirror, dissolving it into a pink-and-white vortex.

"Most impressive" Princess Luna commented.

Twilight felt a blush appear on her face and hoped it was not too visible. "Okay, we're all set. Now let me warn you, this is not gonna be a smooth trip. It's gonna get a bit... a bit..." Twilight struggled to find the right word.

"Bumpy?" Spike offered, cringing as he spoke.

"Right. Just relax, and we should all be okay, alright?" Twilight glanced at each of her friends in turn, who nodded. "Okay, let's go!" With that, Twilight turned and raced towards the mirror.

"GOOD LUCK!" Princess Luna and Spike called as one-by-one, the six ponies dove into the swirling vortex.

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **Whew! I had a nightmare getting this chapter online. If it wasn't a lack of inspiration or imagination it was my computer acting up! I think I may need to get a new one.**

 **So the Human Tirek is working for Project Tantabus (no surprise, right?) and they've captured Imitae and the Sirens! What do you think they are going to do with them? (Stupid question, right?)**

 **Fun fact: When I was writing this scene, I was reminded of a scene from a Disney movie where two of the characters are targeted by the U.S. Government just because they happened to be aliens. Props to you if you can figure out which movie I'm talking about (Hint: It's a 2005 remake of a 1975 original)**

 **The Tantabus symbol that the soldiers have was based on the cutie mark for an OC character I once saw online, but cannot find now for some reason. The eye is a nod to secret societies like the Illuminati, who apparently hold the _real_ power in the world (If you believe in that)**

 **I tried to make 'Twilight's disguise similar to the character we see in the Friendship Games movie, while I wanted 'Sunset's disguise to be kind of a reminiscent of how the old Sunset used to act. Whether or not that has any effect later on in the story, we'll have to wait and see.**

 **For those of you hoping that Celestia was going to go with Twilight back to Cantelrot High, looks like you're out of luck (or are you?). I'm not saying anything else now, but we may see the solar princess again further down the road.**

 **As always, please read, review, and react. Thanks to goddragonking and Brony-Online for their reactions. As I've said time and again, I enjoy hearing feedback, positive and negative.**

 **Until Next Time!**


	8. Chapter 6

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Ch 6**

"WOOAAAAAOOOOOAAAAAOOOOAAAAHHHHHHH!" Twilight Sparkle screamed as she fell through the swirling vortex, she did NOT enjoy this feeling, the feeling of having her body stretched like taffy and wound up like a rubber band. Behind her, she could hear similar cries coming from her friends, except for Pinkie, whose squeal of "WHEEEEEEEEE!" seemed to echo through Twilight's head. She shut her eyes and waited for the experience to end.

Just when Twilight was afraid the feeling would never stop, there was a sudden flash of light followed by the sensation of pain as her body slammed into pavement, followed by even more pain as she felt her friends fall on top of her. "Urgh, can you girls get off me please?" She groaned as she felt her friend's shift off of her in response, allowing her to rise to her knees.

Twilight opened her eyes to see Canterlot High rising majestically above her and felt herself smile as she got to her feet and dusted herself off. She could never explain why, but she was starting to feel just as comfortable in this dimension as she did back in Equestria, maybe it was because she had been coming here so many times.

 _And this time, the fate of this world is **not** hanging in the balance!_ Twilight thought happily.

"AAAH!" Twilight spun around as five voices simultaneously gasped.

"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy shot backwards, colliding painfully with the base of the statue behind her. She stared at her new hands in a mixture of horror and amazement, her breathing coming fast and heavy.

"Fluttershy, what's wrong?" Twilight dashed to her friend's side as Fluttershy turned to look at her, her eyes wide.

"Wh-what's happened to me?" She squeaked fearfully.

"What's happened to _all_ of us?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as the girls took in their new human bodies and the clothing that had magically appeared on them.

"You're human now, remember?" Twilight smiled at them. "When a pony from Equestria comes through the portal to this world, they become human, but there's no reason to be scared of it."

"Well, maybe a _little_ reason." Applejack cringed as she examined her long legs. "This feels...kinda weird" The other girls agreed.

"Oh come on!" Twilight countered. "You saw what your human counterparts looked like in the pictures they sent you, remember?"

"It's one thing to see it in a picture, darling. To actually experience it..." Rarity broke off as her new fingers traced over something that lay beneath her shirt. Her face reddened and she jerked her hand away. "I have to agree with Applejack, this is very, _very weird_!"

"You mean it's _cool_!" Pinkie chirped, reaching out to pick up a small stone lying nearby. "I like this outfit, and I don't have to pick things up with my mouth anymore. Come on, you've _gotta_ like that!"

"She does make a good point" Applejack said, examining her hands.

"Hmm yes, these things do seem to have much more dexterity than pony hooves" Rarity commented, flexing her fingers.

"I _guess_ I could get used to this" Fluttershy relented, pulling her long pink hair out of her eyes.

"Forget about what we look now! Come on, let's take a look around!" Rainbow Dash bent down, and then jumped up into the air, only to land with a thud. "Ow! Hey what happened?" She rose to her knees and jumped again, only to land hard again. "Ow! I can't fly!"

"Makes sense, it'd be kinda hard for ya ta fly with no wings" Applejack commented.

"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash yelped, twisting her head around to glance behind her. Her eyes widened when she saw that there were no feathery appendages sprouting from her back. "My wings, they're gone!"

"EEEK! So are mine!" Fluttershy whimpered after she checked too.

"Now just calm down..." Twilight began

"Rarity and Twilight's horns are gone too!" Rainbow Dash cut her off.

"WHAT?" Rarity gasped, and slapped her hand to her forehead, searching for her horn. Upon not finding it, she started to panic, causing Applejack to place a hand across her mouth.

"Easy there Sugarcube. Ya gonna be okay?"

Rarity nodded and Applejack released her. "B-but how am I supposed to use magic without my horn?"

"You can't" Twilight explained, trying to calm her down. "Humans don't have wings or horns, because they naturally can't fly or use magic."

"But you've used magic when you were here before" Applejack argued. "And you said yer friends have used it as well"

"Yes, but that was magic that was brought to this world from Equestria when Sunset Shimmer stole my crown, remember?" Twilight reminded them. "Magic doesn't naturally exist in this world"

"But then, how do humans control the weather?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Or raise the sun and the moon?" Rarity added

"Or communicate with animals?" Fluttershy pressed

"Or tend the fields?" Applejack finished.

"Well..." Twilight paused, trying to determine the best answer. "They don't really. I mean, humans _do_ tend fields here, but not with magic. As for everything else, like the sun and moon, the weather, and the animals, they all take care of themselves"

Twilight's friends gasped in horror. "That's horrible!" Fluttershy gasped.

"No, that's just the way it works here" Twilight replied, glancing from one face to another. "I know it's a shock, but you'll get used to it"

"So what now?" Pinkie asked.

"Now we have to find my human counterpart, and Sunset's human counterpart" Twilight said, looking around. "They should be around here somewhere"

* * *

Peeking through the large doors that lead into the school, 'Sunset' and 'Twilight' were trying their hardest not to laugh as they watched Twilight's friends struggled to adjust to their new bodies.

"I wonder if this is what Twilight felt like when she first got here?" 'Sunset' giggled.

"And I thought _I_ was an awkward person" 'Twilight' chuckled.

'Sunset's eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, you wanna have some fun?" She whispered.

"What do you mean?" 'Twilight' asked.

"I mean" 'Sunset's face now sported an evil grin. "Let's just see how 'observant' the Princess of Friendship really is"

'Twilight' looked confused, then gasped as realization dawned on her. "You're evil, you know that?"

'Sunset' shrugged. "It's the clothes, I swear" She said, adjusting her top. "Besides..." She looked at 'Twilight'. "Don't you owe your double one for what happened at that sleepover, when she was pretending to be Cadence?"

'Twilight' grinned. "Okay, I'm in" She said quickly. "What do you have in mind?"

"Just follow my lead" 'Sunset' smirked. The two girls crept through the doors. 'Sunset motioned for 'Twilight to wait, then moved until she was at the bottom of the steps and leaned against the railing, pasting a sneer on her face.

Behind her, 'Twilight' fought the urge to giggle and turned slightly away.

"Well, well, well!" 'Sunset' spoke in her Beverly Hoofs accent, making Twilight and her friends look up. "What do we have here?"

"Huh?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

'Sunset' hid her smirk and turned to 'Twilight who was staring down at her iPod. "Hey Cirrus, look what the portal spat out?"

'Twilight' looked up and pretended to just now see Twilight and the others. She gave a dramatic gasp. "Twilight Sparkle? What is _she_ doing back here?" She exclaimed, pointing at Twilight, while trying to keep from cracking up at her double's confused expression. _how does it feel, Twilight?_ She thought as she came level with 'Sunset'.

"Friends of yours?" Applejack glanced at Twilight.

"Uh..." Twilight started to say.

"Oh please!" 'Sunset' cut her off. "Friendship is, like _soo_ last season. Twilight and I are acquaintances at _best!"_

 _"_ I wouldn't even go that far Scarlet, considering what she did to us." 'Twilight' narrowed her eyes as she gazed at her double. "Oh, and in case you were wondering Twilight, No, I still haven't forgiven you" 'Twilight' made a big show of crossing her arms and looking away in disgust, which was really an effort to hide her barely concealed grin.

"'Forgiven her'?" Rarity repeated, before looking at Twilight. "Twilight, what's going on?"

"I have no idea!" Twilight exclaimed. "I've never seen these girls before!"

Both 'Sunset' and 'Twilight' pretended to gasp in horror.

" _Seriously_?" 'Sunset' snapped, moving forward until she was nose-to-nose with Twilight. "You, like, don't remember who we are? After what, like, happened between us the last time you were here, you have the _nerve_ to stand there and say you've forgotten...who...we...are!" With each word, she pushed herself into Twilight, knocking the pony back until she was pressed against the base of the statue.

"We're Scarlet Flame and Cirrus Cloud, remember?" 'Twilight' added. "You're _ex_ -best friends in this world!"

"Wow Twilight, you didn't mention these two girls were your best friends here!" Pinkie said. Unlike the other girls, she didn't look nervous.

"That's because they're not!" Twilight pleaded, she looked like she was on the verge of panicking. "I've never met them before!"

"Do you _ever_ stop lying, Twilight Sparkle?" 'Sunset' placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder, keeping her pinned against the statue.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Rainbow Dash tried to come to Twilight's aid, but quickly lost her balance and fell back on her butt.

"Ha! Smooth move!" 'Twilight' laughed. "First day with your _new legs_?" She teased, glancing at Twilight as she spoke. She bit her lip when she saw a look of shock appear on her double's face.

Rainbow Dash glared at them, but 'Sunset' ignored her, and turned back to Twilight.

"Seriously though, you _seriously_ don't remember us? That is like, soooooo rude of you! Wouldn't you like, totally agree Cirrus?" 'Sunset' winked at 'Twilight'

'Twilight nodded'. "Oh yes Scarlet, definitely" She said, moving her glasses up and down, hoping Twilight would notice them. "It's completely and utterly heinous!"

"Uh, _Yeah_ , it is! I feel like, sooooo under appreciated right now. Especially considering how we like, totally saved your life the last time you were here! Remember _that_?" 'Sunset' snapped, the hair from her red wig flashing as she ran her free hand through it while she spoke. She made sure to show a flash of yellow from her real hair underneath.

"Wait, what?" Twilight blinked in surprise.

"Some 'Princess of Friendship _you_ are!" 'Twilight' snorted, accenting the title with her fingertips. "And to think I actually fell for your friendly disguise, I'm _never_ making that mistake again!" She looked Twilight in the eye, and winked.

"Disguise? What...?" Twilight muttered as she watched 'Twilight' fiddle with her glasses again. Her gaze slowly swept over 'Twilight', then 'Sunset', both of who were desperately trying to hold onto their angry looks, but who were both failing miserably. Twilight's eyes suddenly widened, than narrowed to angry slits. "HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!" She exclaimed as both girls dissolved into hysterical laughter. "GIRLS! THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" She yelled.

"It is to us!" 'Twilight' chuckled in her own voice as she let go of Twilight and slapped 'Twilight' a high-five.

"Gotcha!" 'Twilight' crowed. "Gotcha good!"

Twilight groaned and rubbed her head.

"Uh, what just happened?" Applejack asked, her face mirroring the confusion exhibited by the rest of the girls, except for Pinkie Pie, who chuckled.

"Isn't it obvious?" Pinkie chirped. "These girls are actually the human counterparts of Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, who helped Twilight face off against Imitae the last time Twilight came to Canterlot high. The two Twilights exchanged places so that the real Twilight could disguise herself and track down Imitae without people wondering why there were two Twilights in the same place, because hello! That would be weird! So anyway, they eventually found out that Imitae was planning to control everyone during a big dance, so they enlisted the aid of Sunset's human counterpart, and then they all wore the same costume to the dance so that Imitae couldn't tell who was who and then the two humans harnessed the power of a magical stone to destroy Imitae's power once and for all! And now they're in disguise again because they want to help plan Sunset Shimmer's upcoming birthday party without her knowing about it! But when they saw us come through the portal they just couldn't resist having a little fun with us!" Pinkie inhaled a tankful of air after speaking. "Right?" She finished, beaming at the two humans, who were staring at her with wide eyes.

'Twilight' and 'Sunset' exchanged a glance. "Yeah, more or less" 'Sunset' replied, her surprise evident.

"HEE HEE! I thought so!" Pinkie smiled triumphantly, bouncing up and down on her feet and clapping her hands together.

"So what was all _that_ about just now?" Applejack's eyes narrowed at the two.

"Yeah girls, you really scared me" Twilight added, giving them an annoyed look.

"We're sorry Twilight, but we just felt like we owed you one" 'Twilight' replied slyly. "Think of this as a response to a _certain_ girl making a fool of herself at a _certain_ sleepover"

Twilight groaned as she realized what her twin was referring to. "That wasn't my fault! I tried to tell you Sunset knew about my disguise last time"

"Speaking of time, we'd better get inside before we attract any attention." 'Sunset' said, glancing at her watch. "Or before any of your counterparts see you"

"Well come on then! Let's go!" Rainbow Dash took off running towards the school, but she was still moving on all fours, which caused 'Sunset' and 'Twilight to burst out laughing again. "What?" Rainbow Dash paused when she noticed. "What's so funny?"

"Uh, humans don't move like that, Rainbow Dash" Twilight explained, smiling as she recalled trying something similar when she first arrived. "They walk on their back legs, like this" She took a few slow steps forward for her friends to notice.

"Oh, _that's_ why their back legs are longer than their front legs" Fluttershy observed, rising onto her feet, wobbling as she did so.

"Technically, our front legs are called _hands_ " 'Sunset' corrected her, giggling as she watched the girls all rise to their feet, wobbling as they did so, except for Pinkie, who seemed to have mastered the art of walking on two legs instantly.

"Oh, so _these_ are hands. I always wondered what Twilight meant about that" Rarity commented, glancing at her hands.

"Me too" Rainbow Dash nodded.

'Sunset' and 'Twilight' glanced at Twilight, who smiled and shrugged in reply.

"And, what about our back hooves, what are they called?" Applejack asked.

"They're called _feet_ " 'Twilight' giggled as she replied.

"Hands and feet. Got it" Applejack legs suddenly seemed to buckle under her. "Woah!" She flailed her arms in an effort to stay balanced.

'Sunset' rolled her eyes and held out her hand. "Here" She offered.

Applejack paused for a moment, then laid her curled hand in 'Sunset's open one, and Rainbow Dash placed her's in Sunset's other hand. 'Twilight' helped Fluttershy and Rarity to their feet.

"Thank you" Rarity said.

"No sweat" 'Twilight' smiled at her, "You'll get the hang of it"

* * *

 **A minute later, inside Canterlot High...**

Twilight and the others followed or, in the case of most of them, stumbled after 'Twilight' and 'Sunset' through the mostly deserted corridors to the drama department. Once inside, the two humans quickly locked the door.

"Okay, let's get you all in your disguises" 'Sunset' announced.

"Disguises?" Rarity raised an eyebrow. " _We_ have to wear disguises?"

"Of course" 'Twilight' nodded at her. "Remember, Sunset doesn't know you're here. And we'd rather avoid the confusion of people suddenly seeing two of all of you"

The girls exchanged glances before nodding, showing they understood.

"Okay, we don't have time to do a complex disguise" 'Twilight' commented, glancing at the clock on the wall. "So we may just have to settle for a change of clothes, a wig, contact lenses, and some light alterations"

"What's the rush?" Twilight asked her twin.

"There's a pep rally in the school gym in about 45 minutes and I believe our counterparts are all going to take part in it, well except yours." 'Sunset' glanced at the two Twilights.

"A what rally?" Applejack cocked her head.

"A pep rally, it's a big meeting that involves the entire school, both students and teachers. It's designed to heighten school spirit before a big competition" 'Twilight' explained as she began opening closets revealing clothes hanging on hooks and even more in bins. "As it happens, Canterlot High is competing in an event called the Equestrian Games later today"

"Equestrian Games?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "What kinda name is that?"

'Sunset' and 'Twilight' exchanged a look. "We'll explain it all later, but we don't have much time right now. we need to get you all glamorized before the rally starts"

"You want to handle clothing, or should I?" 'Sunset' asked 'Twilight'

"You go ahead, you're more 'fashion-sensitive' than I am" 'Twilight' giggled, glancing at 'Sunset's outfit.

"Very funny" 'Sunset' snorted as she lead the girls in examining potential outfits.

"I'll get the special effects ready" 'Twilight' announced to the group, pulling out what looked like a large makeup case. "And remember, each of you needs to decide on a new identity and, if possible, a new voice as well"

"Oh boy oh boy oh boy! I LOVE disguises!" Pinkie giggled like a little kid being presented with ice cream.

"Oooh" Rarity squeaked, noticing the make-up kit. "I can help with make up if you want."

'Twilight' agreed, thanking her. "Hey, how about some music to get us in the mood?" She said, pulling out her iPod.

"Go ahead" 'Sunset' nodded.

"Okay then" 'Twilight' scrolled through the songs and selected one.

" _This is our big night!"_ Twilight's eyes widened as six familiar voices resonate from the device. She gave her double a knowing look. 'Twilight' just shrugged, causing Twilight to roll her eyes as she and the other girls looked over what was available to them.

 _"We're getting ready and we're doing it up right!_

 _This is our big night!_

 _Friendship survived, now let's build it up right!"_ As the music swelled, the girls plunged themselves into the closets and bins that held clothing used for costumes. They picked out various items and stood in front of mirrors around the room, comparing images and trying out new vocal tones and accents, to the amusement of the others.

" _The time is right,_

 _gonna make it last 'cause it's the first night,_

 _that we're ever gonna start to just have fun together._

 _We're so glad, so happy,_

 _we just can't be mad._

 _We did it right now, let's enjoy this night now!"_

Once the girls had all chosen a suitable outfit, they sat down at makeup tables where 'Twilight' and 'Sunset', with Rarity's assistance, applied makeup and and gave them colored contact lenses and wigs for them to try on. Rarity applied her own disguise, refusing any assistance. Twilight also declined assistance, saying she remembered enough from last time that she did not require help.

" _Best_ _friends on the way up now!_

 _Best friends here to show you how!_

 _This is our big night!_

 _We're getting ready, and we're doing it up right!_

 _This is our big night!_

 _We've made it happen so let's party all night!"_

As the music filled the room, each of Twilight's friends slowly began to get more comfortable and began asking for opinion from the others less and less. The plunged themselves into their work and the room was soon covered in discarded clothing. The air smelled like powder and perfume.

 _"This is our big night!_

 _This is our big night!_

 _This is our big night!_

 _"This is our big night!"_

As the song ended, 'Sunset and 'Twilight' stepped backwards and admired their work. Before them stood five girls who looked completely different than they did a little while ago. "Well, not too bad for a rush job" 'Twilight' commented.

"And considering the fact that neither of us know anything about fashion" 'Sunset' added, causing 'Twilight to snort in amusement. "So, have you all decided on a new name and background yet? Applejack?"

"Hmm" Applejack pondered, running her fingers through her now black hair and adjusting the brown belt that wrapped around the burnt orange dress that she was wearing under a dark brown jacket and matching boots. She blinked her now brown eyes and studied her hand, which had been darkened like the rest of her skin. "Ah think A'll call myself Timberwood, from Appleoosa" She said in an accent that sounded more country than usual. "It's got a nice earthy tone to it"

"I like it" 'Sunset' nodded. "How about you Rarity?"

"Me?" Rarity purred, drawing her gaze away from the mirror where she was admiring her own handiwork, having just placed a purple newsboy cap on her head. "I'm Amethyst, after the gemstone, and I am from beautiful Las Pegasus" With her pink hair, purple long-sleeved top and matching miniskirt with pink strappy shoes encrusted with gems, she certainly looked the part. "How do I look?" She asked in a slightly flirtatious tone, fluttered long eyelashes at them and struck a pose.

"Lovely" 'Twilight' said rolling her eyes. "Rainbow Dash?"

"Don't call me that!" Rainbow Dash snapped, dusting off her torn cut-off jeans and black t shirt and adjusting her dark jacket. Her rainbow-colored hair was now slate gray, her eyes were black and her skin had been grayed as well. "Today I'm Gray Light, from Baltimare" She struck a fighting pose with a fist raised. "You got a problem with that?" She snarled at 'Sunset', pretending to look tough.

"Not at all" Sunset shook her head. "Fluttershy?"

"Who's Fluttershy?" The girl giggled as she ran a hand through her now yellow hair. Her skin tone had also been darkened, making her appear heavily tanned, her blue eyes glittered and she adjusted the straps of her green tank top and matching skirt that was covered with flower patterns. "I'm Wildflower, from Manehatten" She added in an accent that sounded very similar to people in Manehatten.

"Clever" 'Sunset' commented, causing Fluttershy to blush. "Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie ran her hands through her now rose-colored hair and adjusted the white dress with a frilly skirt and puffed sleeves that she was wearing. then she brushed a speck of lint off her pink-and-brown leggings and matching boots. Hazel eyes blinked at them slowly as she said, rather dramatically. "It's true, I was once Pinkie Pie, but now I am the sweet and cuddly Cotton Candy, from Fillydelphia!" She spoke in a high squeaky voice, even higher than usual, that made everyone laugh.

"Wow! You girls look and sound so different!" 'Twilight' said when the laughter finally subsided

"You'll fool everyone for sure!" 'Sunset' added.

"Twilight, are you...woah!" 'Twilight's voice faltered as Twilight stepped out from behind the changing screen. Her hair was now bright magenta, matching her eye color, and her skin was now pink, like it had been when she played Cadence. She wore a pink-and-purple dress with pink socks and light purple boots and she had placed matching purple bracelets on her wrists.

"What?" Twilight asked in her 'Cadence' voice when she saw them all staring at her. "I've done this before, remember?"

"And who are you going to be _this_ time?" Her twin snickered.

Twilight thought for a moment then answered "Crystal, will do, from right here in Canterlot"

Her twin chuckled while 'Sunset' rolled her eyes.

Just then, the speaker mounted on the wall above them crackled to life. Principle Celestia's voice flooded into the room. _"Attention students, please make your way to the gymnasium. The pep rally will start in five minutes. Again, please make your way to the gymnasium"_

 _"_ Well, looks like we're out of time" 'Twilight' sighed, straightening her own wig. "Let's see how our disguises fair out"

"But how are ya gonna explain eight new girls just showin' up outta nowhere?" Applejack asked.

"Oh don't worry. We've taken care of that." 'Sunset' answered gesturing to each girl as she spoke. "As far as anyone here knows, we're Timberwood, Amethyst, Gray Light, Wildflower, Cotton Candy, Crystal, Cirrus Cloud, and Scarlet Flame, a group of potential transfer students who will be taking a tour of the school and will watch the games and festivities afterwards."

"So just follow us, keep a low profile, and remember to stay in character, got it?" 'Twilight added'

"Got it!" Six voices chorused

"Okay, let's go" 'Sunset' turned and lead the way out of the room. Twilight brought up the rear, helping to support Fluttershy, who still seemed to have a problem with walking on two legs.

"Thanks Twilight" Fluttershy whispered as they followed the others down the hall "And I'm sorry for acting so scared earlier. This is just all so new to me"

"No problem" Twilight placed a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder, and smiled at her. "You should have seen me when I first arrived here. I screamed so loudly I'm surprised the whole school didn't come out to see what was wrong. You'll get used to it"

Fluttershy giggled and then and gently pushed herself away from Twilight, taking a few wobbly steps before smiling back at her and moving quicker to catch up with the others.

Twilight chuckled as she moved to catch up and felt her heart flutter as other students appeared in the hall. She met the gaze of several student,s but no one appeared to notice anything. So far, everything appeared to be working, but the real test would come in the gymnasium.

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **This took WAY longer than I expected to get up, a combination of writer's block and external influences. But it's up now, and I'm quite proud of it.**

 **So, what do you think of the new looks of the Mane 6? I took some ideas from their new appearances from the Elements of Insanity that you can find on Youtube (created by the Inverted Shadow, I believe. A strange twist of MLP franchise, but interesting to watch nonetheless).**

 **Using 'This is Our Big Night' for the disguise scene may be a little cheesy, but I think that the song theme actually fits in well with this scene, maybe even better than the movie scene because they just survived the 'rigors' of 'Twilight' and 'Sunset's little joke, and they may have to face more rigors in the future. We'll see.**

 **So, the Pep Rally is up next! Will the girl's disguises be enough to trick the students? Or will someone figure out who they really are? And how will these eight disguised figures affect the outcome of the Equestrian Games and the plans of Project Tantabus?**

 **Stay tuned to find out! That being said, if you have your own ideas, please feel free to send them in.**

 **Until Next Time!**


	9. Chapter 7

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Ch 7**

"OOOOOOHH! I'm so excited!" Pinkie Pie squealed in her new voice as the girls made their way to the gymnasium.

"Me too!" Twilight commented in her 'Crystal voice. "I've never been to a 'pep' rally before" Twilight added in a whisper to her double, who chuckled in response.

Upon entering the gymnasium, the girls gasped in awe at the streamers hung draped from the rafters on the ceiling. Balloons in nearly every color were attached to nearly every surface, and a large disco ball hung from the center of the gymnasium ceiling. Lights positioned around the gym shone on the ball as it slowly spun, sending out beams of light in all directions. Beneath the disco ball, chairs had been assembled, and the bleachers at the end opposite the stage had been pulled out. Many students were already gathered, talking animatedly among themselves as they took seats, either on the chairs, or on the bleachers.

"Pinkie had a hand in this. I just know it." Twilight said, giggling at the other girl's reactions.

"I did?" Pinkie asked, looking a little confused. The other girls rolled their eyes.

"She means the _other_ Pinkie" 'Twilight' explained.

"Oh" Pinkie nodded as they found seats on the bleachers nearest the door. Even from this angle, they had a good view of the rest of the gymnasium.

"This does appear to be _quite_ the social gathering" Rarity commented as she glanced around at the assembling students. A trio of boys passed by where they were sitting and one of them paused to glance at Rarity, looking her over. Seeing him, Rarity's smile widened. She ran her fingers through her 'hair' and blinked prettily at him, causing him to blush before his friends pulled him away.

"What're ya doing ' _Amythest_ '? We're supposed to be incognito, remember?'" Applejack hissed in her new accent as Rarity waved at the departing boy.

"I'm sorry ' _Timberwood_ ', but that is no excuse for not looking fabulous" Rarity countered in _her_ new accent.

"Gimmie a break" Rainbow Dash muttered, rolling her eyes as Pinkie and Fluttershy giggled.

"So, what exactly happens at a 'Pep rally'?" Fluttershy asked, leaning forward and asking in her 'Wildflower' voice.

"Well, usually there are speeches, songs, and performances designed to get people excited and to raise school spirit" 'Cirrus' explained.

"In other words, it's like, totally fun!" 'Scarlet' added in her valley-girl tone, causing Twilight to giggle, but then she paused as she saw a girl she did not recognize turn her head to look at them. The girl had pale white skin and her magenta-colored eyes brimmed with a mixture of excitement and extreme unease. Twilight smiled at the girl, and the girl smiled back before quickly glancing away. Twilight's smile faded as she stared at the girl's pink hair, she felt something in her mind click. Something about this girl looked familiar, but Twilight couldn't remember what.

"Do either of you know who that girl is down there, with the pink hair?" Twilight asked the two humans, pointing her out.

'Twilight' and 'Sunset' shook their heads. "No, but that's not very surprising. Remember we're not students here." Her double whispered back.

"Good point" Twilight admitted, still staring at the back of the girl's head. "But I can't help feeling I've seen her before."

"Huh, maybe when you were here last time" 'Sunset' suggested, doing her nails with an emery board as the ponies looked on in confusion.

"What _are_ you doing?" Rarity finally asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Sunset' smiled at Rarity but before she could answer, a loud voice drew their attention to the stage.

"Good morning everyone!" Everyone looked up to see Principle Celestia standing on the stage, holding a microphone. Vice Principle Luna stood next to her, holding a clipboard. As their gazes swept over the assembled, the students quickly grew silent.

Rarity gasped and leaned forward in her seat. "Twilight, are those the human counterparts of the royal sisters?" She whispered.

Twilight smiled up at her. "Yes, that's Principle Celestia and Vice Principle Luna. The head teachers of Canterlot High."

"No way" Rainbow Dash's eyes widened.

"They're so...tall" Pinkie added, causing Twilight to giggle.

Just then, a beam of sunlight shone through one of the gymnasium's windows and fell upon the disco ball, bouncing off the glass orb in such a way that the light seemed to illuminate the spot where Princess Celestia was standing, making it look like she was bathed in sunlight. "Wow" Fluttershy gasped, as the other ponies gave similar exclamations. Twilight felt her eyes widen as Celestia squinted through the light, holding a hand up to block the beam. Almost instantly, the sunlight seemed to fade. Both principles exchanged a glance and Twilight could clearly see Luna raise an eyebrow and Celestia shrug innocently at her.

"Ah thought ya said human's couldn't control the sun" Applejack glanced at Twilight.

"They can't" Twilight replied, frowning thoughtfully. _How did that happen_ _?_ She wondered.

"Anyway" Celestia raised the microphone again, turning back to the assembled "As you are all aware, in just a few hours, Canterlot High will welcome the students of Crystal Prep Academy to join us in celebrating the spirit of excellence, sportsmanship, and fidelity, as we compete in the Equestrian Games!"

At this announcement, applause could be heard, but it was minimal and many students instead muttered angrily. Twilight caught at least a dozen students rolling their eyes. "They don't seem very excited" She noted to her twin.

"Yeah, well, I guess it's kinda hard to get excited about a competition you generally don't do well in" Her twin replied and Twilight noticed that both she and 'Sunset' suddenly looked uncomfortable.

Celestia continued, unfazed by the lukewarm reaction. "Since the games occur once every four years, I'm certain that you're all curious as to what occurs"

"You mean, other than us losing?!" A lone voice cut through the air and the girls glanced up to see Flash Sentry had risen to his feet nearby. The students sitting around him all nodded in agreement and the muttering continued. Both 'Twilight' and 'Sunset recoiled from this statement as if they had been slapped.

"What's wrong?" Twilight tried to ask, but her twin quickly shushed her.

Both principle looked annoyed at the interruption, but Celestia continued. "While it is true that Canterlot High does not have the best track record going into this year's games..."

"Ha! Try _no_ record!" Another voice rang out and they saw Trixie rise from her seat. "CHS hasn't won the Equestrian Games even _once!"_

"Not even once?" Rainbow Dash repeated, looking horror-struck as unhappy muttering broke out across the gym. 'Twilight' and 'Sunset' shook their heads.

"She's right!" A third voice broke through the muttering and Twilight saw one of the Rockers, a boy with a red mohawk rise from his seat. "We can't beat a fancy school like Crystal Prep at _anything_! What's the point of having the games at all?" Snips and Snails who were sitting nearby, nodded their heads, as did most of the crowd.

"Naturally! Trixie refuses to participate in anything that does not give at least a chance of victory!" Trixie nodded at the boy, which set the audience mumbling again.

"Trixie?" Applejack gasped. "As in 'The Great and Powerful Trixie'?"

"Mh hmh" Twilight nodded, her eyes narrowing as Trixie smirked triumphantly before an angry look from Vice Principle Luna made her sit down again.

"I can see the ego of _this_ one is just as big as the one we have back home" Rarity snorted and the others agreed.

"Ahem!" Principle Celestia loudly cleared her throat, also looking angry. As if in response to that, the room was suddenly flooded with beams of sunlight reflecting off the disco ball again, which caused the muttering to quickly subside, but many students still looked unhappy.

"How is she doin' that?" Applejack wondered, squinting through the bright sunlight.

"Good question" 'Sunset' replied, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully.

When the beams of sunlight had faded, Celestia resumed speaking, "I understand that many of you feel disappointed with our current performance record. Yet I feel it best to remind everyone that these games are about more than winning or losing. To that end, Vice Principle Luna and I have asked the Rainbooms to perform a song demonstrating what they believe the Equestrian Games stand for" As that, the student's voices became excited and many leaned forward in their seats, their unhappy frowns suddenly replaced with excited and eager smiles.

Feeling excited herself, Twilight twisted in her seat to face her friends and whispered to them "The Rainbooms are the band that all your counterparts are in"

"Our counterparts are in a band?" Rarity's eyes widened as they watched the principles descend from the stage.

"Mm-hmm" 'Cirrus' nodded. "And quite a popular one, based on what we've been hearing"

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash squealed as the lights suddenly dimmed.

 _"Aaaaaaaaaaah, ooooooohhhhhh_ " A collection of voices suddenly fluttered through the air accompanied by what sounded like flute music. Smoke poured from underneath the base of the curtain and the crowd gave a collective gasp as a figure emerged from the cloud. It was a girl, but her head was down and her face masked in shadow. The crowd began to mutter, but the girl snapped out a hand and a loud " _Shhhhhhhhhhh!"_ erupted from the loudspeakers, making many students jump and others giggle. The babble quickly fell silent as the music got louder.

"Good buildup" Twilight heard her twin comment.

" _Na, Na, Na-Na-Na, Oh"_ Hidden voices chanted as the figure struck a pose and slowly raised one hand. " _HA!_ " With a dramatic flourish, she snapped her fingers and the curtain began to rise, the figure spun on her heel and strode into the rising cloud of smoke, which dissipated, revealing five more figures standing on the darkened stage, lit from behind so their faces were in shadow, but Twilight felt herself smile as she recognized the silhouettes.

"Is that...them?" Applejack's voice sounded tense behind Twilight's head.

"Yes" Twilight nodded.

"Wow, great presentation!" Pinkie chirped, and the other girls agreed.

"Hey, you think we'll get a chance to meet them after the show?" Rainbow Dash whispered.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll have _plenty_ of time to hang with them." 'Twilight' replied.

"Yeah, like totally" 'Sunset' said in her accent, making Twilight giggle. _I wonder if our Sunset could do that_ , she thought.

" _Aaaaaahhhhhh, Ooooooooohhhhhh!"_ Twilight's thoughts were interrupted by the Rainbooms and she focused again on the stage.

From within the smoke cloud, the girl in the middle held up a microphone and Sunset's voice rang out through the gym " _Equestrian Games!"_

The words were followed by an explosion of lights and guitar music that opened into a fantastic beat that poured from the speakers and seemed to dive into Twilight's very soul. The lights in front came on, bathing the Rainbooms in color and allowing the assembled to get a good look at them. Much to Twilight's surprise, they had already ponied up. They all had pony ears and tails extending from their hair, 'Rainbow Dash' and 'Fluttershy' had wings, while Sunset and 'Rarity' had horns sticking out of their foreheads. As they sang, they struck various poses at points of the song, and Twilight was left to wonder of there was a hidden meaning behind them.

 _"We've come this far,_

 _And we're not goin' back! (NO WAY!)_

P _repare yourself,_

 _cuz we're on the attack! (ATTACK!)_

 _Won't have to find us,_

 _we'll be tracking you down (RIGHT NOW!)_

 _And when we're finished,_

 _we'll be taking your crown!"_

Twilight burst out laughing at that last line, remembering the event that had drawn her to Canterlot High in the first place, drawing a confused look from her counterpart.

 _"All the way (All the way!) All the way, to the Equestrian Games!"_

 _Na, Na Na-Na-Na, Oh!_

 _Na-Na, Let's go!"_

As the chorus repeated itself, Twilight show a look at her friends and found them all staring at the Rainbooms with wide eyes. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie all had dropped jaws, while Fluttershy and Rarity had both clapped their hands over their mouths. Twilight giggled, the faced forward again as a loud _"Hey!"_ echoed through the room. Her eyes widened to see the Rainbooms all pointing at her and she felt a surge of panic. Did they see her? But a second later that cried _"Ho!"_ and pointed to the ceiling, and Twilight relaxed, realized that it was part of the song. _"Hey!"_ Each girl assumed a pose and an individual light shone on each of them. Twilight realized that there was going to be a solo from each member. _"Let's go!"_

 _"We've studied hard and we came to win_ " Rainbow Dash opened, diving to her knees and sliding to the edge of the stage

 _"(Woah, oh!)"_

 _"We're only tellin' ya once"_ Applejack continued, tossing up her hat, which landed back on her head as she sang.

 _"(Oh, oh!)"_

" _Our power comes from the inside out!_ " Rarity added, running a hand through her hair, making it and her tail flash in the light

 _"What you see is what you get_ " Fluttershy started, twirling like a ballerina, her tambourine held high

" _But you've seen nothing yet!_ " Pinkie finished from the back, before slamming her drumsticks down, somehow creating a burst of light and color.

" _All the way (All the way), All the way to the Equestrian Games!_

 _Na, Na Na-Na-Na, Oh!_

 _Na-Na, Let's go!"_

"Wow" Twilight turned as Fluttershy spoke as the chorus repeated. The girl's eyes were shining. "They're amazing"

Twilight made to comment, but a flash of light drew her attention back to the front, and she saw that Sunset had stepped forward and now seemed to be enveloped in a halo of orange light.

 _"Crystal Prep thinks that they're the best!"_ She sang in a clear and powerful voice. her eyes closed.

 _"(Oh Oh!)"_ The others chanted in response

 _"But we know we can be better!_ " Sunset twisted her head, causing her tail to whip through the air.

 _"(Go Go!)"_

 _"No we will not bow,_

 _OUR TIME IS NOW!_ " The others sang along, their voices filling the gym.

 _"Wondercolts, Forever!_

 _When we stand, together!_

 _All the way!"_

"ALL THE WAY!" Several students in the chairs and bleachers rose to their feat and yelled along, their actions causing the majority of the others to follow suit

"ALL THE WAY TO THE EQUESTRIAN GAMES!" The entire gym yelled."NA, NA, NA-NA-NA, OH. NA NA, LET'S GO!" Twilight was certain she felt frame of the bleachers shake.

"All the way!" Sunset began clapping her hands in time with the music

"All the Way!"

"ALL THE WAY TO THE EQUESTRIAN GAMES!" The gym echoed in reply and now thudded with the sound of many hands clapping. "NA, NA, NA-NA-NA, OH. NA NA, LET'S GO!"

"Na, Na, Na-Na-Na-Na! Wondercolt's United Together!" The Rainbooms began chanting, clapping their hands high over their heads

"Na, Na, Na-Na-Na-Na! Wondercolt's United Forever!" The rest of the gym quickly began to follow suit, many students were on their feet and those that weren't soon were as their chanting swelled to fill the entire gymnasium. Before Twilight realized it, she too was on her feet, along with her counterpart and 'Sunset', clapping and chanting along with the other students. After staring at them for a few moment,s the other girls rose to their feet and began clapping as well.

As the Rainbooms chanted, a group of figures in blue and while uniforms appeared and began throwing things out to the audience. Twilight's face lit up when she saw that they were the ear bands and tail belts that she and her friends had used in the cafeteria when she was trying to become princess of the Fall Formal. Many students scrambled to catch them as they were flung out and put them on, some helping others that were not quick enough to catch one themselves. Twilight glanced up to see that even the principles were wearing them, and were clapping in time with the music.

"ALL THE WAY (ALL THE WAY!)

ALL THE WAY, TO THE EQUESTRIAN GAMES!

NA, NA, NA-NA-NA, OH. NA NA, LET'S GO!"

As Twilight smiled at the scene unfolding, each of the girls suddenly became haloed in light. Twilight saw their eyes widen in what was clearly surprise, and even though they kept singing, she saw them glance uneasily each other. As they repeated the chorus one last time, she saw Sunset glance towards someone off-stage and urgently make a slashing motion across her throat. As they came to the last word of the chorus, there was a loud bang and confetti and streamers suddenly rained down on the crowd, leading to exclamations of delight. At the same time, the curtain quickly dropped down, hiding the Rainbooms from view. As the music dimmed, and the audience realized the song was over, the exclamations swelled into thunderous applause. Many students were cheering and loudly whistling. Several were jumping up and down like Pinkie Pie was now.

"WOW! WOO HOO!" Pinkie screamed loud enough for the whole gym to hear. "THAT WAS AMAZING!"

"Cotton Candy! Shhhh!" Twilight quickly shushed her friend. "We're supposed to be undercover, remember?" She glanced around to see if anybody had noticed and cringed when she saw the pink-haired girl glancing up at them again with a confused look on her face. She smiled at her and the girl turned away again.

"Sorry. Woo Hoo! That was amazing!" Pinkie repeated, but kept her voice down a couple octaves and switched to her new accent as many students began to depart from the gym, most were talking excitedly, many still wearing their Wondercolt bands and belts.

"I have to agree" Rarity nodded, winking at the same boy from before as he passed by again, making him blush and dart after his friends. "That _was_ incredible." The other girls nodded in agreement.

"Uh girls, heads up!" 'Sunset' suddenly warned, glancing towards the stage. They all looked up to see Principle Celestia heading their way, a somewhat annoyed look on her face. Twilight braced herself, but the woman stopped in front of them, but the principle instead spoke to the pink-haired girl.

"Well Sunrise, did you enjoy that?" She asked, her frown fading slightly as she spoke.

"Oh my gosh!" The girl squealed, rising to her feet. "That was amazing! I've never seen a school so motivated!"

"Well" Celestia chuckled and Twilight thought she saw a tiny blush appear on her pale cheek. "I can't take much credit. We mainly have the Rainbooms to thank for such an inspired...rally..." Celestia's voice gave out as she noticed Twilight and the others sitting a little ways up and her eyes widened in what was clearly surprise, her mouth dropped open.

"Uh oh" Twilight felt her twin stiffen beside her and felt the urge to cringe as well. Under the Principle's gaze, Twilight suddenly felt stripped of her disguise. Did Celestia recognize her?

* * *

 **Meanwhile:**

Backstage behind the curtain, the Rainbooms slowly sank back down to the ground and the auras that covered their bodies faded, along with their ears, wings, horns, and tails.

"Aw yeah! That was awesome!" 'Rainbow Dash' crowed as she unstrapped her guitar and set it carefully on the floor.

"It sure was!" 'Pinkie' agreed, twirling her drumsticks in her hands.

"We really came together, didn't we?" 'Rarity' commented as she checked her appearance in her compact mirror.

"Yeah, but what was up with the end?" 'Applejack' asked. "Where did that surge of magic come from?"

"I was wondering about that too" 'Fluttershy' agreed, looking a little uneasy.

Everybody looked at Sunset, who flinched as memories of her dream came back to her. "Sorry girls, I'm just as puzzled as you are" Sunset admitted. "My testing the other day didn't really confirm anything. It may have come from us playing our instruments, or it may have come from something entirely different"

 _"Or maybe you just can't figure it out"_ Sunset's eyes narrowed as a dark voice whispered in her head.

"I'll bet it's because were so awesome!" 'Rainbow Dash' said at the same time, smirking.

"Maybe" Sunset rubbed her chin. "I mean, of course we're awesome" She hastily added, upon seeing everyone looking at her. "But I kinda think there's more to it than that, right?"

"It _does_ seem a little random" 'Rarity' admitted. "It only seems to happen when we play as a group. At least, it's never happened to _me_ when I'm practicing by myself, how about you?" She glanced around at the other girls, who all shook their heads or shrugged their shoulders.

"Whatever the reason may be" The Rainbooms looked up to see Vice Principle Luna approaching, a serious look on her face. "We would appreciate you girls getting a handle on this"

"What do ya mean?" 'Applejack' asked.

"Principle Celestia and I would prefer to keep magic as far away from the Equestrian Games as possible. Canterlot High is more spirited than ever, and we do not want that new-found spirit to be marred by accusations of cheating" Luna narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

'Rarity' scoffed loudly "We don't need magic to defeat those _Hoity-Toity_ Shadowbolts!" She exclaimed, and the other girls were quick to agree.

"Uh huh!

"Aw yeah!"

"That's right!"

"You said it!"

Vice Principle Luna nodded, as if satisfied, but her face did not lose its frown. "Still, the Equestrian Games are serious business, particularly _this_ year's games. We do _not_ want any surprises, especially the kind that might cause us to forfeit" She empathized her opinion on this by slapping a fist against her palm. The girls nodded, signalling they understood. Luna then turned to Sunset. "Sunset Shimmer, you came here from a world of magic. Do you think you can get to the bottom of _our_ magical development?"

"I'll do my best" Sunset smiled at her.

 _"No you won't"_ Sunset felt her smile fade as she heard Sunspot's voice whisper in her mind. She tried to shut it out, but her inner demon's voice echoed through her head. " _You will try, but you will fail. You will always fail"_

"Good" Luna nodded and turned to go, then suddenly paused. "Oh, but before you work on that, my sister would like to see you. She's out by the bleachers right now" Before anyone could say anything else, Luna turned and walked away, but Sunset could have sworn she saw a smile appear on the woman's face before she turned away.

"OK, does anyone have any guesses what the events for the games are gonna be?" Rainbow spoke up, diverting Sunset's attention away from Luna.

"Well, with the name 'Equestrian Games', I'm guessin' something with horses will be involved." Applejack suggested.

"I don't know" Fluttershy argued. "I overhead Professor Cheerilee talking with Professor Doodle and they mentioned something about an academic portion to the games as well." Fluttershy suddenly shivered. "That means it could be _anything"_

"Anything?" Rarity gasped. "How will I ever pick the right outfit?"

Pinkie suddenly giggled. "Ooooh, imagine if Princess Twilight and her _pony_ friends were here to watch us compete in the _Equestrian_ Games! How weird would that be?!" Pinkie laughed out loud.

"That _would_ be interesting" Applejack agreed, chuckling a little. The other girls agreed.

"Well, since all six of us will be competing, I suggest we try to find out what the events are gonna be and come up with a strategy" Rainbow Dash suggested. "You girls in?"

"I am!"

"Sure"

"Count me in"

"Okie Dokie!"

Sunset frowned. "I'd like to help, but I think I'd better go see what Celestia needs me for. I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"Okay" Pinkie chirped. "But it's probably nothing to worry about" Sunset felt her face flush, was her discomfort that noticeable?

"Thanks Pinkie" Sunset smiled before turning to move around the curtain.

" _Nothing to worry about?"_ Sunspot's voice made Sunset wince. _"We'll see about that"_ Sunset shuddered as her inner demon's chuckle echoed in her head.

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **Well, we're back where we started before I decided to re-write everything, and I think the first few chapters are a lot better now, don't you?**

 **What did you think of the Rainbooms' performance? I combined the Friendship Games opening song with the rally song that Rainbow Dash sings in the movie. I felt that those two songs just went well together.**

 **It looks like things are beginning to get interesting at Canterlot High. What was up with the light show at the end of the Rainbooms' song, and what was with those conveniently-timed sunbeams? Is this more Equestrian magic, or is there something...else...at work here?**

 **Will Principle Celestia unmask Twilight and her Ponyville friends? And what will happen when the students from Crystal Prep arrive? Stay tuned to find out!**

 **FYI: my schedule is going to be a bit crammed for the next few weeks, so I'm not sure how often I'll be updating. Please bear with me, as this story is finally taking off!**

 **Until Next Time!**


	10. Chapter 8

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Ch 8**

Twilight Sparkle held her breath and tried to avoid flinching as she met Principle Celestia's gaze. She could feel her double stiffen next to her.

For a few moments, there was no sound, no motion. Twilight felt her heartbeat quicken.

Then Principle Celestia suddenly smiled. "Ah, you must be the prospective students that were arriving today" She said.

Twilight almost went limp with relief. Celestia didn't recognize her. "Yes ma'am, that's us" Twilight replied in her 'Crystal' voice.

"But I was under impression I was supposed to met you by the front doors, not in here" Principle Celestia raised an eyebrow, making Twilight's heart skip a beat. Had she celebrated too soon?

"Um...well..."

"Well, yes that _was_ the plan" Rarity came to Twilight's rescue. "But when we saw the throngs of students heading this way, we simply _had_ to find out what was going on" She purred in her Amethyst voice.

Twilight shot Rarity a grateful smile as Principle Celestia's look softened. "I see, so what did you girls think of the pep rally?"

* * *

Sunset passed under the stage curtain to find the gym mostly deserted. A few students were lingering on the bleachers, or lounging in chairs talking with their friends.

Scanning the gym, Sunset spotted Principle Celestia near the far wall, talking with a group of girls she didn't recognize.

As she began walking through the crowd of chairs towards Principle Celestia a discussion from a passing group got her attention.

"Who is Principle Celestia talking to?" One girl asked.

"A group of potential new students was what I heard" Another girl replied, adjusting her glasses.

 _New Students?_ Sunset wondered as they passed by. _I don't remember hearing anything about new students arriving today!_

"New students visiting on the same day as the Equestrian Games?" A tall willowy girl exclaimed , tossing her long hair behind her. " _What_ is Principle Celestia thinking? They're not gonna want to come to Cantelrot High after seeing how poorly we do in the games!"

As the girls moved away Sunset watched them go, feeling her heart sink. Part of her agreed with them, bringing in potential new students at the same time as an inter-school competition like this seemed like a bad move.

" _Oooh, new students, how exciting!"_ Sunset ground her teeth as Sunspot's voice whispered mockingly in her head. " _I wonder what they'll say when they find out about **you!** "_

"Shut up" Sunset growled.

"Excuse me?" Sunset jumped as a new voice spoke from her left. Two boys were staring at her from one of the bleachers, one with yellow hair and the other with black hair. "What did you say?" The yellow-haired boy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"N-nothing, sorry" Sunset quickly apologized, hoping she didn't look as embarrassed as she felt. "I was...just talking to myself" She gave a nervous chuckle as the boys stared at her for a second, then both stood up and moved away.

 _"See? No one wants you."_ Sunspot words echoed in her head. " _Look at how they shy away from you"_

"That was _your_ doing" Sunset replied firmly. "And if you think I'm gonna let you control my life like this, you're wrong"

" _We'll see"_ Sunspot hissed as Sunset began walking again.

As Sunset strode towards the assembled group, she began to hear Celestia's voice and the voices of the girls over the rest of the background noise.

"It...was...so...AMAZING!" One of the girls squealed practically leaping into the air as she spoke.

Another of the girls, with dark yellow skin and red hair with black streaks, shrugged like it was no big deal. "It was alright" She mumbled as she worked on her nails. Sunset felt a frown come over her face. She and the other Rainbooms had worked really hard on that performance! And despite that 'magical moment' at the end, she felt proud of how they had done.

The yellow-skinned girl was suddenly elbowed rather rudely by the white-haired girl next to her. "What Scarlet Fire here means..." She said in a high-pitched voice "Is that it was a great demonstration of school spirit"

"I'll say it was!" The pink haired girl below them squealed. "I don't think I've _ever_ felt so inspired in _all_ my life!" Sunset chuckled at the girl's dramatic comments. _That sounds just like something Rarity would say_! She thought.

The other girls nodded and agreed, except for the girl with the red-and-black hair, who just sighed and kept doing her nails. Sunset felt her smile fade slightly as she approached the group. A strange feeling began to come over her as she looked at that one particular girl. The way she was dressed, the way she sat, the way she moved, it reminded Sunset of... _herself!_

Sunset paused as recollections from her 'past life' flashed before her eyes, of ponies and people she had deliberately hurt. She frowned, the last thing that Canterlot High needed was _another_ diva-like bully roaming its halls. _I'll have to keep an eye on her_ , she said to herself.

"I really liked the song that the band played" One of the girls spoke up, snapping Sunset out of her thoughts.

A black-haired girl in the back, wearing a Stetson hat that looked just like Applejack's, nodded. "Them girls were really somthin'" She said in a country accent.

"Oh yes, they were truly amazing" A girl in green said quietly, curling her fingers through her hair.

"Well, I'm sure the Rainbooms will be very happy to hear that" Principle Celestia said as Sunset approached the group. "They take their performances very seriously."

"But not _too_ seriously" Sunset teased, causing everyone to look up. "We want to _enjoy_ ourselves after all"

"Ah, Sunset" Celestia smiled. "Perfect timing. That was a very energetic performance you and the Rainbooms gave"

"Thanks Principle Celestia. "Sunset smiled at her. "Vice Principle Luna said you wanted to see me?"

"Yes I did" Principle Celestia turned towards the girls on the bleachers. "Sunset, these are all potential transfer students visiting the school today. I had promised to give them a tour of the school before the start of the Equestrian Games, but unfortunately, Vice Principle Luna and I are running behind schedule. We still have a lot to do before the students from Crystal Prep arrive, so I was hoping you might be willing to lead the tour instead"

"Oh, well..." Sunset paused. She had been hoping to use the time before the games to try to figure out why she and her friends kept ponying up, but she also didn't want to disappoint Principle Celestia in front of potential new students. As she thought, her eyes darted over to the girls and she saw them all gazing at her eagerly, except for Scarlet Fire, who was still looking at her nails. She glanced up at Sunset, smiled, and muttered something Sunset couldn't hear.

Suddenly, it seemed like a light flashed behind Sunset's eyes, and instead of seeing eight new girls, she saw her seven friends sitting in front of her, smiling at her. Sunset immediately felt herself relax. "Sure, I'd be happy to" She said finally.

"Excellent. I knew I could count on you, Sunset" Sunset felt Celestia's hand rest on her shoulder and for a moment, she felt a warm shimmering feeling flood through her body, like she was drinking in the Sun's rays. Suddenly, a beam of sunlight shone through the window and lit up the two of them.

Sunset's eyes widened, despite the brightness of the light. She recognized this feeling! It was the same kind of feeling she used to feel back when she was Princess Celestia's student. Being near the Princess of the Sun had sometimes caused Sunset to feel the same warm, calming sensation.

"Knock it off" Principle Celestia muttered, glaring into the beam, which quickly disappeared.

Sunset's blinked in surprise. She knew that as Princess of the Sun, Princess Celestia could control all aspects of the celestial body, including the power to call down sunbeams at will. Sunset had seen this more than once.

 _But that's impossible!_ She thought as Principle Celestia took her hand off and the feeling went away. _This is **Principle** Celestia, not **Princess** Celestia...isn't it?_ Sunset suddenly felt doubtful. Their adventures during the Halloween Dance had proved that Equestrian and human counterparts were visibly identical twins. If, for some reason, Princess Celestia _did_ decide to come here, then she would no doubt look like...

Sunset gulped with sudden nervousness as 'Principle Celestia' turned to the girls on the bleachers. _But what would Princess Celestia be doing here?_ She wondered. Then she answered herself _She must be here to spy on me! Princess Twilight must have told her about what had happened at the fall formal and she's come to see if I've really changed!_

" _Well well!"_ Sunspot's voice gave a dark chuckle. _"It looks like even the princesses of Equestria don't trust you. Can't say I blame them, considering what you tried to do"_

Sunset tried her best to ignore her demon's voice as Principle Celestia started speaking.

"Girls, this is Sunset Shimmer, one of our best students. She will lead you on a tour of our school while the rest of us prepare for the upcoming games. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask her" With a nod to Sunset, Celestia turned and strode away, leaving Sunset alone with the group in the now almost empty gymnasium.

Sunset watched her go, her mind still going over the concept of Princess Celestia being here. Forcing the idea to the back of her head, Sunset turned to find all the new girls gazing at her with eager expressions.

"So, um...Hi everyone". Sunset was suddenly at a loss for what to say. "Welcome to Canterlot High. I'm Sunset Shimmer, as you heard"

"Hi Sunset, I'm Crystal." The girl in pink-and-purple smiled at her. Turning, she introduced the other girls. "These are Cirrus Cloud, Scarlet Flame, Grey Light, Timberwood, Wildflower, Amethyst, and Cotton Candy" Each of the girls nodded or waved when introduced.

"Nice to meet all of you" Sunset smiled at them. "So, where are you all from?"

There was silence following this, then Crystal spoke again. "Oh um...we're from all around" She said.

Sunset must have looked as confused as she felt because Cirrus Cloud spoke up. "What Crystal means is that we're from different towns, but we're all a part of the same academic advancement program."

"Ahem. I think you forgot me" Everyone glanced at the pink-haired girl sitting close by. "I'm in the program too"

"You are?" Scarlet Flame glanced up from her nails. When everyone looked at her, she quickly added. "I mean...I've never seen you at any sessions"

"Oh, I just started the program a few days ago" Sunrise calmly answered. "I must be in a different group than yours. Most of my group are in Manehattan, but I begged to be allowed to come here instead." She glanced down at the floor as she spoke, and the tiniest flush of red appeared on her cheek.

"Really?" Sunset's eyes widened.

"Really." Sunrise said, turning to look at her. "I've been hearing _a lot_ of good things about Canterlot High, especially about its students" It may have been Sunset's imagination, but she thought she saw a flash of pride in the pink-haired girl's eyes. "I just _had_ to come see if the rumors were true or not, and so far I haven't been disappointed"

"Oh...well...that's really good of you to say, miss..." Sunset paused, trying to remember the girls' name.

The girl chuckled. "I'm Sunrise"

"Sunrise" Amethyst nodded. "A surprisingly fitting name"

"Thank you" Sunrise giggled at the compliment.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sunrise" Sunset held out her hand. As the girl took it, there was a snapping sound and both girls were suddenly outlined in light. Sunrise gave an 'eep' of surprise and jerked her hand back.

The light faded. "What was that?" Sunrise demanded.

"What was what?" Sunset replied, a little too quickly.

"That glow"

"Wh-what glow? Sunset smiled, trying to hide her growing unease.

Sunrise frowned. "Are you going to tell me you _didn't_ notice that both our hands were glowing just now?"

Sunset slowly shook her head, trying to stay calm. "I didn't notice anything" She turned to the girls on the bleachers, who were gazing curiously at them. "Did you girls notice anything?"

"Nope!" Crystal said the instant Sunset stopped talking. "We didn't notice anything, did we?" Crystal's voice was surprisingly firm as she glanced around at the other girls, who all shook their heads.

"Maybe it was just light reflecting off the disco ball" Sunset gave what she hoped was a logical sounding explanation. "You saw what happened during the rally" She smiled at Sunrise, who was staring at the handing ornament, looking thoughtful.

"Hmmm, I guess you're right" The girl finally said, shrugging her shoulders.

Sunset nodded, feeling very relieved. "Ok, so on that note, would you like to follow me?" Sunset motioned for the girls to follow her and they all stood up.

* * *

"This is working out great!" 'Twilight' whispered to Twilight as they followed Sunset out of the gym. "Sunset doesn't recognize us at all!"

"I know" Twilight giggled. "I can't wait to see her face, and the faces of the other girls when she finds out who we really are!"

"Yeah, but we didn't count on having a stranger in our group" 'Sunset' added from next to them. The girl's eyes flickered to Sunrise, who was now happily chatting with Sunset as they walked. "Well have to be careful not to say anything in front of her"

"Yeah, we wouldn't want her to find out we're not really from that 'academic program' you mentioned" Twilight whispered.

"It _is_ a little strange how quickly Sunrise bought into that story" 'Sunset' noted. "Especially since there _is_ no academic placement program"

"That we know of" 'Twilight' corrected her. "But there _are_ independent educational programs, like the one that Everton offers, remember?"

"True" 'Sunset' admitted. "But...but we still should be careful around Sunrise. I don't trust her just yet, and considering what we've been learning about Equestrian magic, the fewer who know, the better"

"Agreed" The two Twilight's nodded.

"Oh come on!" Rainbow Dash scoffed from in front, though she did so in a whisper. "You three worry too much. What's the worst that can happen?"

'Twilight' and 'Sunset' exchanged a glance. "Believe me, a little information in the wrong hands can lead to a _lot_ of trouble later on." 'Sunset' finally replied, and both girls looked uneasy.

"What kind of trouble?" Fluttershy asked, looking worried.

"Nothing that we need to worry about for now" Twilight assured them.

"Twilight's right" Pinkie whispered. "The only thing we need to worry about is how amazing we want Sunset's birthday party to be"

"Speakin' of, exactly how long are ya planning to keep this here charade going, Twilight?" Applejack asked and the other girls all perked up.

"Well..." Twilight thought for a second. "I suppose the only person that needs to be kept in the dark is Sunset herself, but I'd like to tell all the Rainbooms at once, let's just wait and see what happens"

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Sunset's not gonna know what hit her" She whispered.

"Providing we can keep the secret" Twilight said to them all. "And that means we have to play it cool, and stay in character"

"Right" All the girls nodded.

"What are you girls doing back there?" Sunrise's voice made the girls look up. She and Sunset were standing a few feet ahead of them, looking back.

"Everything okay?" Sunset asked, looking confused.

Twilight bit her lip. She hadn't realized that they had stopped. Her mind whirred as she struggled to come up with an explanation.

"Uh yeah, we're _fine_." 'Sunset' came to their rescue, sneering in her 'Scarlet Fire' voice. "We, like, stopped because _you both_ stopped. Can we get _going_ now?" She droned. Twilight heard Pinkie and Rarity chuckle behind her, but she saw Sunset narrow her eyes at her disguised twin and for a second a frown crossed Sunset's face.

Twilight blinked and the frown disappeared. "Sure, right this way" Sunset turned to lead the girls down the hall. But her voice didn't seem as...happy as before, like she was on edge. For the first time since she came up with this plan, Twilight felt doubt creep into her mind. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

"That's a bad idea" Starlight Glimmer jumped as a harsh voice broke her concentration. She turned to see Sugarcoat gazing at her with narrowed eyes.

"What is?" She asked.

"Monkeying with the scanners" Sugarcoat nodded at the device in Starlight's hands. They were almost to Canterlot High, and Starlight had spent most of the bus ride trying to figure out how these 'scanners' they had gotten from Dean Sombra were supposed to work. "Dean Sombra's not gonna be happy if you break it"

"He said they would be easy to figure out" Starlight said, turning it over in her hands. "But they seem a lot more complicated" And they were. From what Starlight could tell, there was a lot of circuitry in these devices that she felt did not belong there.

"As long as they do their job, I don't really see the point of fiddling with them" Sugarcoat spoke from the seat next to her. "Besides, your muttering is interrupting my nap"

Starlight turned to scowl at her partner, and as she did the bus hit a bump, causing Starlight's scanner to fly out of her hands and bounce down the aisle towards the front of the bus.

"I rest my case" Sugarcoat sounded satisfied as Starlight got out of her seat and headed after her scanner. As she moved, so did the bus, causing the device to roll further and further down the aisle. Twice she thought she had trapped it, only for it to roll away from her at the slightest shudder. By the time she finally managed to grab it, she was all the way at the front of the bus.

"Hello?" Starlight froze as she recognized Dean Sombra's voice right above her. "What is it?" He growled. Starlight peaked over the back of the chair. Dean Sombra was speaking into his cell phone. Next to him, Prinicple Cinch was looking over a sheet of what looked like notes.

 _Probably her speech notes for the opening ceremony_ , Starlight thought and turned to leave.

"Yes, we're almost at Canterlot High now. Any problems at Twilight's lab?" Starlight froze at Dean Sombra's next words.

 _Twilight?_ _What does Dean Sombra want with her?_ Starlight felt a flush of envy. _Maybe Twilight was the one who made these things!_ She scowled down at the device clutched in her hands. This was supposed to be _her_ moment. How dare Dean Sombra get Twilight Sparkle's help behind her back!

"What do you mean she's disappeared?" Dean Sombra leaned forward in his seat. Starlight's anger quickly faded, replaced with confusion. Starlight saw Principle Cinch look up from her notes. "What about Sunset?"

"Problem?" Principle Cinch asked.

Dean Sombra motioned for her to be quiet. He gave a sudden hiss of anger. "How could _both_ of them have gotten past you?" He snapped quietly. "I thought you had the lab surrounded."

Now Starlight was _really_ confused. Was Dean Sombra talking with the police? Were Twilight and Sunset in some kind of trouble with the law?

"Tell me you have the source secured, _at least_ " Dean Sombra spoke into his phone.

The response on the phone must not have been what Dean Sombra wanted to hear, because he gripped the phone so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Incredible. We gave you _one job_ and you can't even..." Dean Sombra stopped talking as more muttering came from his phone. "Uh huh...I see...well, at least you're not a _complete_ idiot" He snarled.

There was an angry crackle from Dean Sombra's phone. "Hey _you're_ the one that said it would be a piece of cake and you just choked on it. That's not my problem." More angry noise. "Then keep putting pressure on the girls until they _do_ talk. One of them has to know where Twilight and Sunset went."

A chill went through Starlight's body. That sure didn't sound like words one would say to a policeman.

"No, don't even think about draining them now" Dean Sombra spoke into his phone The angry noise seemed to go up an octave. "Yes I know that the project leader demands results but those results need to be concrete, you know that" Dean Sombra snarled. "And we can't get concrete results if our specimens are damaged, can we?"

 _Specimens?_ Now starlight was _sure_ Dean Sombra wasn't talking to the police, but then who _was_ he talking to?

By this point, Principle Cinch had neatly folded away her notes and was gazing at Dean Sombra with an expectant look on her face.

Dean Sombra noticed the look "Look, I can't discuss it with you right now. Just hold those girls until I can get there, okay? And let Time Turner know that I may be bringing more 'guests'." Sombra chuckled. "I have to go. Squeeze them, but don't you dare hurt them, or their tight lips will be the least of your problems" He said before hanging up.

"Problem?" Principle Cinch asked again.

Dean Sombra sighed with annoyance. "They raided the lab, but Twilight and Sunset managed to escape him and they took the mystical energy source with them. Tirek managed to apprehend their four test subjects, but they won't tell him anything"

 _Mystical energy?_ Starlight's eyes widened.

"Give it time" Principle Cinch said, turning back to her notes. "Tight lips eventually always talk"

"Yes but Tirek's not the most patient of people" Dean Sombra argued. "And he's easily angered. If he loses his cool and hurts one of them..."

"He won't." Cinch soothed him. "He's not _that_ stupid"

Starlight gulped as Dean Sombra leaned back in his seat, his head draped over the edge, danging a few inches above Starlight's.

"Besides, we may not need those four girls if Starlight's research pays off" Principle Cinch added. "Once we've determined where the source is at CHS, we'll be one step closer to our goal."

"Yes, this may still be a good day for the project after all" Dean Sombra said, his eyes still closed.

After a few more minutes, Starlight couldn't hear anything else and realized the Dean must have fallen asleep. As quietly as she could, she eased out of the row and moved back down the aisle to her seat at the back, her mind replaying Dean Sombra's words. Using girls as test subjects? Mystical energy? Just what had Sunset and Twilight been working on? And why would Dean Sombra want their research lab to be 'raided'?

 _It almost sounds like Dean Sombra hired someone to kidnap them_ , Starlight thought to herself as she sat down. She quickly shook her head. That was impossible! Twilight and Sunset were Crystal Prep Alumni. Cinch and Sombra had nothing but respect for them.

But still, Starlight couldn't get what she had overheard out of her head. She had never exactly _trusted_ either Principle Cinch or Dean Sombra, and it sounded now like they were both up to something, but what?

The more Starlight thought about it, the more she had a feeling that she didn't want to find out.

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

"And finally, this is our music room" Sunset said as she pushed open the door to the music room. Inside, she found the other Rainbooms already waiting.

"Hey Sunset! About time you got here!" Rainbow Dash called. "I texted you a whole five minutes ago!"

"Sorry girls, but school obligations come _before_ band obligations right now" Sunset countered.

"Oh wow, look! The Rainbooms are here!" Cotton Candy exclaimed, hopping up and down, pointing at Sunset's friends.

The Rainbooms looked confused. "Y'all've heard of us?" Applejack asked.

"Of course they've heard of us" Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Hello, we're awesome!"

Sunset saw Timberwood and Gray Light grin at each other. "Well, yeah, ya are" Timberwood spoke. "But technically the only reason we know about ya is because y'all played at the pep rally "

"Oh" Rarity blinked in surprise. "You saw that?"

"We sure did" Crystal said in a surprisingly smug voice. "And we also saw _you_ playing along with them, Sunset" Sunset felt the girl give her a friendly jab.

"Yeah, it must be a real honor to be lead guitar in your own band" Sunrise spoke, with a hint of longing in her voice.

Sunset felt herself blush. "Thanks, but it's _our_ band. And besides, Rainbow Dash is lead guitar, I'm just backup. " She said.

"Oh come on! Don't be so modest" Timberwood scoffed. "Ah'm sure yer talent with the guitar is a real asset to yer b _aaand!"_ As she was speaking, the girl suddenly lost her balance and would up leaning on Sunset's shoulder. "Thank ya kindly" She said as Amethyst and Gray Light giggled.

"Oh most definitely!" Pinkie Pie spoke out, twirling her drumsticks in her hands. "Sunset's the real heart of our band"

"Indeed" Rarity added, playing a chord on her key-tar, "Why if it wasn't for Sunset, out band would have broken apart a long time ago" Her smile faded slightly as she recalled their battle with the sirens.

Sunset saw that Crystal was also frowning, but before she could ask, Scarlet Flame cut in. "Really? Like, what happened? Did you, like, have a fight or something?" The girl asked.

The Rainbooms exchanged a look, none of them were smiling now. "It's kind of a long story" Rainbow Dash finally said. "And we'd rather not talk about it"

Scarlet Flame opened her mouth, but Crystal cut her off. "It's fine, we understand" The two girls exchanged an annoyed look, making Sunset raise an eyebrow.

"Well, whatever happened in the past certainly didn't affect your performance today." Amethyst quickly spoke up. "It was fantastique!" She smiled widely, an action mirrored by most of the visiting students.

"Yeah, I really liked how you were able to motivate your fellow classmates" Wildflower spoke up as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Oooh! Ooooh! Can you play something for us now? Play something for us!" Cotton Candy squealed, literally bounding up and down on her feet.

"Play something?" Sunset repeated. "As in, right now?" Her heart suddenly fluttered. Every time they had played something as a group, they had ponied up. They had been able to pass if off until now, but Sunset was certain that ponying up in front of these visitors would be impossible to explain.

"Yeah!"

"Yes"

"Sure!"

"Why not?" The other girls all chimed in. Even Scarlet, who looked up from her nails and gave an encouraging smile. Next to her, Crystal leaned in and whispered into Cirrus's ear. Both girls grinned

"Um...well..." Sunset squirmed under the eager gaze of the other girls and heard Sunspot laugh in her head.

" _You won't do it"_ Her demon self taunted. " _If you play, you'll pony up, and then they'll all know what a freak you really are!_ "

"I don't really think that's such a good idea, there are some _kinks_ we still need to work out, right?" She said, glancing at her band mates desperately, hoping that at least one of them would get the hint . To her surprise, none of them looked worried.

"We _do_ have some time before the students from Crystal Prep arrive" Rarity said, "I think we can treat these visitors to a brief performance"

"Ah agree!" Applejack nodded.

"Sweet!" Rainbow Dash grinned

"Let's do it!" Pinkie Pie cheered

Fluttershy didn't say anything, she just nodded.

Everyone looked at Sunset. "Well, are you in, Sunset?" Rainbow Dash asked.

 _"You're gonna get busted! You're gonna get busted!"_ Sunset grit her teeth as Sunspot's chanting in her mind. She saw Scarlet and Cirrus exchange a glance.

"Well...I guess we can play _one_ song" Sunset relented, and everyone cheered. "What would you like to hear?"

"It doesn't matter. I just wish that you would play something...from your heart" Cirrus said slowly, two of her fingers running down the length of a small chain that fed down to something beneath her shirt. Next to her, Scarlet's smile widened.

At that moment, Sunspot's presence suddenly seemed to fade away. Sunset could still feel her inner demon there, but it was like she could no longer hear her. Her fear began to leave her as a sudden burst of determination flowed through her. Sunset plucked a power cord from one of the amps and fed it into her guitar.

"Well, since everyone seems to insist" She said, turning to the other Rainbooms, "How about we play 'My Past is Not Today'?"

"Isn't that the one that you and Fluttershy have been working on for the past week?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, it is" Sunset nodded, turning to look at Fluttershy, who nodded.

"We just finished the lyrics yesterday. They're really moving" She said.

"Awesome! It's all you, Sunset" Rainbow Dash stepped aside as Sunset moved to the front of the band.

"Thanks, Pinkie, can you give me something steady?" Sunset asked.

Pinkie nodded and began playing a beat on her drum set.

"Rarity, I need something with feeling" Sunset instructed

Rarity closed her eyes for a moment, nodding her in time with the beat, then she smiled and began playing on her key-tar.

One-by-one the rest of the Rainbooms began adding to the music that was beginning to ring through the room. Sunset waited until everyone else was playing, then began strumming her guitar. After a few minutes, she opened her mouth, and began to sing:

" _Power...was all I desired_

 _But all that grew inside of me, was a darkness I acquired"_

 _When I began to fall,_

 _And I lost the path ahead"_ Sunset winced slightly as memories of the Fall Formal seemed to flash before her eyes.

Sunset glanced at the other Rainbooms as she sang " _That's when your friendship found me,_

 _And it lifted me instead"_ Boosted by the smiles from her friends, Sunset closed her eyes and launched herself into the chorus.

 _"Like the phoenix burning bright, in the sky!_

 _I'll show there's another side of me, you can't deny!_

 _I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say!_

 _That my past does not define me! 'Cause my past is not today!"_

Sunset peaked her eyes open and saw that the new girls were all gazing at her with expressions of awe and wonder. Boosted by this, she continued.

" _Ambition...is what I believed,_

 _Would be the only way...to set me free!_ Sunset heard her inner demon yell something, but she couldn't make out what it was, ans frankly she felt so good that she didn't care.

 _But when it disappeared, and I found myself alone,_

 _That's when you came and guided me, and it felt like I was home_

 _"Like the phoenix burning bright, in the sky!_

 _I'll show there's another side of me, you can't deny!_ With her eyes closed, Sunset didn't notice that streaks of amber-colored energy were beginning to spark around her body.

 _I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say!_

 _That my past does not define me! 'Cause my past is not today!"_

"Uh, Sunset?" Confused by Rainbow Dash's question, Sunset looked up... _and then looked down!_

 _Sunset was levitating off the ground, surrounded by a halo of orange light._ Large amber-colored wings had sprouted from her back matching the horn that projected from her forehead. Her hair had braided itself into a fiery tail that fell down past her knees. Her body was haloed in an amber-colored aura that lit up the entire room.

Dreading what she was about to see, Sunset looked towards the visitors, and saw that each of them was sporting a look of wide-eyed amazement. A few of them had their hands clasped over their mouths.

* * *

 **At that moment...**

At that moment, the buses from Crystal Prep were just pulling up to Canterlot High.

"So this is Canterlot High" Starlight Glimmer muttered as she gazed out the window at the school.

"Doesn't look like much to me" Sugarcoat said.

Starlight had to agree, she didn't see anything special about it. The plain buildings, the neat lawn, the rearing horse statue in front of the doors, no doubt an image of the Wondercolts, the CHS mascot.

"What the...?"Sugarcoat suddenly exclaimed. At that instant, Starlight felt the device in her hands vibrate. Looking down, she saw that it had lit up and part of it was glowing, the part that faced the school. She turned the device, and the light spun so that it was pointing towards the school.

"Well, at least we know these things work" Sugarcoat said. Her device was glowing as well.

"And it looks like my hunch was right about CHS" Starlight grinned.

"Don't you mean, Twilight and Sunset's hunch?" Sugarcoat jabbed.

Starlight scowled as the white-haired girl turned away, then glanced back towards Canterlot High, and suddenly noticed that one of the windows facing her was a different color than the rest. She held up the scanner, focusing on that window and the scanner's light got brighter. "Hmmmmm" She said to herself

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

"Uhhh, heh heh heh" Sunset chuckled nervously as she floated back down to the band room floor. The amber light faded as she landed, but her wings, horn, tail, and ears remained.

"What...in...the...world...just happened?" Sunrise spoke first.

"Um, yes, well, I assure you there is a perfectly logical explanation for what you just witnessed" Rarity answered. She smiled at the Rainbooms, but her body language was anything _but_ relaxed.

"Which we'll come up with any second now" Rainbow Dash laughed nervously.

"Don't bother" Scarlet snapped, looking smug. "It's, like, totally obvious what just happened here"

"It is?" Sunset asked nervously.

 _"Here it comes!"_ Sunspot's voice suddenly returned, adding to fog of panic already clouding the girl's mind. " _Now we'll see what they really think of you_ _!"_

"Well duh, of course it is!" Cirrus snorted, rolling her eyes. Then her face took on an excited look and she squealed "Wickedly awesome special effects!"

Sunset stared for a moment, then she laughed with relief. "Right, Special effects, that's exactly what it is. You _totally_ got me!" She looked over at the other Rainbooms, silently urging them to play along.

"Oh right!"

"Uh huh!"

"Guilty as charged!" The Rainbooms quickly picked up the hint.

Sunset turned back to the girls, only to see almost all of them looking at Crystal, who was nodding at them.

Wildflower noticed Sunset's gaze and cleared her throat. "Wow Sunset, those wings look so real!" She said loudly, causing the other girls to quickly look back up.

"Indeed" Amethyst took a hesitant step forward, gazing at the glowing appendages. "And _just look_ at the coloring. Just like a phoenix! I imagine they're part of the song you just performed?" The girl looked into Sunset's eyes. Sunset didn't see a trace of fear or hate in them at all, just genuine curiosity.

"Um...yes. They're props" Sunset said quickly. "You know how phoenixes can burst into flames when they die and are reborn from the ashes?" Amethyst nodded. "Well, I was thinking of mirroring that transformation during my song. And since I can't burst into flames..." Sunset winced as memories of her nightmare "This seemed like the next best concept"

"But..." Timberwood spoke up. "Phoenixes don't have horns" She pointed to her forehead.

Sunset's eyes flickered to the horn that had sprouted from her forehead. "I'm uh, still working on the concept" She tried to explain.

Before any of the girls could answer, there was a sudden knock at the door and Principal Celestia came in. "Ah good, I was hoping I might find all of you...here" The principal froze as she noticed Sunset's new appearance.

 _Uh oh!_ Sunset's pulse quickened as Principal Celestia visibly gasped. Her eyes widened and she clasped a hand to her mouth as she looked Sunset up and down.

Sunset felt her heart sink as she watched Principal Celestia's eyes dart to the visitors and widen even more.

"Sunset, what...what is all this? The principal finally stammered.

"Uh, they're just props" Rainbow Dash quickly answered. "For the new song Sunset's working on"

"Props?" Celestia repeated.

"Precisely" Rarity quickly took over. "It's supposed to symbolize Sunset's rebirth from her old self into a shining new person."

"Much like how a phoenix dies and is reborn again" Applejack added.

Celestia blinked. "Oh, I see" She smiled and gave a nervous laugh. "Silly me, I thought they were real for a second."

"That's just what we were saying" Cotton Candy spoke up.

"Yes, they do look very realistic, don't they?" Celestia's voice betrayed her unease and her smile was _way_ too wide to be real. She made subtle motions with her hand, indicating Sunset should get rid of the wings.

Sunset's heart sank as she simply shrugged her shoulders in reply. Principle Celestia bit her lip, her eyes darted to the visitors and back again. Sunset's head drooped.

Principal Celestia seemed to recover herself. "Anyway, I apologize for interrupting the tour, but the students from Crystal Prep have just arrived, and the opening ceremony will begin shortly. Sunset, Vice Principal Luna wants to see you in the main foyer right away, _without_ the props."

Sunset nodded, smiling apologetically up at Celestia. But inside her, she could feel tension rising. She had been charged with keeping magic _away_ from the visiting students, and she wasn't off to a very good start. It was sheer luck that she had been able to pass off what had just happened as an act for the Rainbooms. Sunset was worried that the next time someone ponied up, it would not be so easy to explain away.

"Meanwhile, I need to..." Celestia paused when she she heard a loud buzzing sound coming from Scarlet's pocket.

The girl pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen. Sunset saw her raise an eyebrow. "Excuse me, I've, like, gotta take this" The girl turned on her heel and quickly strolled from the room.

"Anyway, I'm gong to need to..." Principal Celestia was again cut off by a cell phone, this time from Cirrus.

"Sorry, sorry" Cirrus squealed as she pulled out her phone. She glanced at the screen and her eyes widened. "I'll be right back!

Celestia watched the girl dash out of the room and turned to the girls. "Anyone else?" She asked sarcastically.

No one answered her.

"Good, anyway Sunrise, I need you to come with me. Your parents just called my office, they want to talk to you." Celestia turned to the pink-haired girl.

"Oh" Sunrise looked surprised, but then she suddenly smiled "Okay then" She walked over to Principal Celestia.

"I trust the rest of you can show our guests where they need to go?" Celestia turned to the Rainbooms, who nodded. "Good, then I will see you all at the opening ceremony" Celestia escorted the pink-haired girl out.

No sooner had the two left then there was a flash of light and Sunset's wings, horn, ears, and tail disappeared, returning her to normal.

"Cool, how did you do that?" Cotton Candy squealed.

Sunset glanced at the other Rainbooms, but was met with blank, uneasy stares. "Uh, that's a...trade secret" She said quickly.

"Awww" The girl pouted, and was consoled by a reassuring pat from Wildflower.

"Well, I'd better go see what Principle Luna wants from me." Sunset, unstrapped her guitar and carefully placed it on a guitar stand. "I'll see the rest of you later." She left the room. As she walked down the hall, she grew more and more worried.

" _You dodged a bullet back there, Sunset"_ Sunset winced as sunspot's voice filled her head. _"Think you'll be able to do it again?"_

"Of course I will." Sunset muttered under her breath. "Vice Principal Luna charged me to keep magic away from our guests and there is no way I am letting her down."

" _Oh yes"_ Sunspot sneered. As Sunset passed a classroom door, she thought she could see her demon self leering at her in the glass window. _"I'm sure that ponying up in front of the prospective new students was exactly what she wanted you to do"_ The demon's voice dripped with cruel sarcasm. _"Just face it Sunset, you can't figure this out. You failed in Equestira, and you'll fail here too"_

Sunset said nothing, she just grit her teeth and clenched her fists as she walked. As much as she hated to admit it, Sunspot was right. Back in Equestria, when she had still been Celestia's student, Sunset had spent a lot of time researching ancient magic that hadn't been used for centuries. She had hoped to find a way to convert it for every-day use, but she had come up empty. That was the beginning of the long and dark road that had eventually lead her here.

But things were no better here. Sunset's magic research was going nowhere. None of her theories seemed to hold up, in fact the magic here seemed to delight in doing the exact _opposite_ of what she wanted. It was so frustrating! And after the way Principal Celestia had reacted to seeing her 'ponied up' in front of the visiting students, Sunset became more determined than ever to fix this mess.

 _If that even **was** Principal Celestia_ , Sunset thought back to how the woman's gaze had focused on Sunset's horn first, before spreading to her wings, the exact opposite of what the others had done. This, combined with what she had felt after the rally, made Sunset think that maybe it was actually Princess Celestia, masquerading as their principal. And if that was the case, she had yet another reason to figure this out, a chance to finally impress her mentor.

Almost without thinking, Sunset reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out the magical journal. She flipped through the pages and sighed. Still no reply from Princess Twilight. _Come on, Twilight. Don't leave me hanging like this. I need you...now more than ever_. She thought sadly as she placed the book back into her bag. As she walked she didn't notice her shadow trailing along behind her, sporting a wicked-looking smile.

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **GGRRHHH! Summer classes can be so frustrating. If it wasn't for them, I would have had this chapter published a week ago! But it's up now!**

 **Like I said before, This story will follow the plot-line of the Friendship Games movie with some added twists, mostly from the Legend of the Everfree film.**

 **One thing I wanted to highlight in particular this chapter was the tension and stress that Sunset has to face. She has to figure out how to keep magic under control, she has a demon whispering into her ear (rather annoyingly, I might add!) and now she's developed this theory that Principal Celestia may in fact be Princess Celestia spying on her (Remember I said we would probably see more of the solar princess later on?) Seems like that would drive anyone to the breaking point!**

 **So we've had one near miss so far. Think that they'll be so lucky next time? We'll see.**

 **I confess I'm a little disappointed that no one's commented for a while. Of course, maybe you were all waiting for this chapter to come out. Well, now that it has, feel free to comment (or complain, it doesn't matter to me)**

 **Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 9

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Ch 9**

As Sunset closed the door behind her, Twilight felt her mouth curve into a frown. She wasn't sure why, but Sunset suddenly seemed different, almost tense. The girl had looked so happy a little while ago, but now...

 _She's probably just worried about the competition that's happening today._ Twilight said to herself. _And 'ponying up' in front of us probably didn't help._ She added with a giggle. _She'll feel much better when she sees the awesome party we're gonna throw for her._ Twilight tried to hide her smile as she turned back to the other girls. _Speaking of which..._

Clearing her throat loudly, Twilight took a few steps towards the Rainbooms. "So, does that sort of thing happen a lot around here?" She asked in her Crystal voice.

"Oh yeah, Sunset often gets called away like that to do important tasks" 'Rainbow Dash' replied, quoting the word 'important' with her fingers.

"To be honest, we've kinda gotten used to it, what with her being Principal Celestia's special messenger, and all" 'Applejack' added.

Twilight giggled. "Good to know, but I was _actually_ referring to what happened earlier, while you were playing that song" She deliberately hardened her voice, hoping the Rainbooms would catch the hint.

They must have because 'Rainbow Dash's' grin faded. She and 'Applejack' exchanged a look.

"What do you mean?" 'Applejack' finally asked.

"Yeah Crystal" 'Sunset' asked in her Scarlett voice as she and 'Twilight' came back into the room. "What _do_ you mean?" She wiggled her eyebrows and 'Twilight' winked at her twin.

Chuckling to herself, Twilight strode forward and turned to face her friends. "I mean that, we just saw a plain, ordinary human girl grow a pair of pony ears, a pair of wings, a tail, _and_ a horn" As she spoke, she winked at her friends, who all grinned back. "Call me crazy, but don't you all think that's a _little_ bit strange?" She asked.

"You may be right, crazy" Pinkie said, causing Twilight to give her a look.

"Sure seems strange to me" Rainbow Dash added with a smirk.

"Oh yes, indeed" Rarity joined in on the fun. "In fact, I would say it's downright _extra_ -ordinary" She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at her counterpart.

The Rainbooms looked at each other, each of them looked visibly uneasy now. "What exactly are you saying?" 'Rainbow Dash' finally asked.

"What I'm saying, is that Sunset's 'transformation' a few minutes ago had _nothing_ to do with 'special effects', isn't that right girls?" Twilight teased, accenting the words transformation and special effects with her fingers.

Twilight bit her lip in an effort to hide her laughter at the panicked looks on the Rainboom's faces and the amused expressions on the faces of everyone else.

"B-but you just said they were..." 'Fluttershy' stammered.

"That was for Sunset's benefit" Twilight said, placing her hands on her hips. "But I think we _all_ know what's really going on here?"

"Oh really?" 'Pinkie' challenged, leaning over her drum set. For some reason she didn't look as nervous as the other Rainbooms.

"Yes, _really"_ Twilight smiled at 'Pinkie'.

"You think we're tying to _hide_ something from you?" 'Pinkie's smile widened.

"Pinkie!" 'Rarity' exclaimed in alarm.

"Now that you mention it, yes!" Twilight countered, narrowing her eyes playfully.

"You _didn't_ seem as surprised as we were to see Sunset transform like that." Her twin added, her eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, it looked like you'd seen that kind of stuff before." Rainbow Dash spoke up, leaning forwards on the bleachers. " _Have_ you?" She grinned wickedly.

"Oh, of course they have!" Rarity smirked. "And that's why they're trying hide it. There's no way something like that could _possibly_ qualify as _normal_!"

"Ah-Ah don't know what yer talkin' 'bout" 'Applejack' responded, in a voice, and with a smile, that fooled no one. "We ain't hiding nothin'!"

 _"_ Hate to break it to ya, sugarcube, but yer not a very good liar" Applejack smirked, playing with the brim of her hat. The irony of that statement made Twilight clench her teeth together to keep from cracking up. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were openly laughing and the other girls were exchanging mirth-filled looks.

"Are you _sure_ there isn't something you want to tell us?" Twilight playfully pressed.

"Like, come on girls, seriously." 'Sunset' sneered. "You're already like, totally busted, you _might_ as well come clean"

"Okay, that's it!" 'Rainbow Dash' frowned as she set her guitar down. "I know that you girls aren't from around here, and that Principal Celestia wants us to be nice to you and all, but you girls getting a little too pushy for my taste!" She faced Twilight and her friends with her arms crossed.

"I have to agree with Rainbow Dash" 'Rarity' sniffed. "You are all being _quite_ rude!"

"Mmm hmm" 'Applejack' nodded, also frowning now.

"And a little scary" 'Fluttershy added, hiding behind her tambourine.

Seeing the frightened expression on 'Fluttershy's' face, Twilight's smile faded a little. Maybe they _were_ overdoing it a little.

"Hmm, maybe you're right" She said, motioning to the other girls to back off. "After all, you girls wouldn't _really_ try to hide anything from us, would you?" She asked.

"No."

"Of course not"

"We would never do that!"

One by one, the Rainbooms quickly acclaimed their answers.

"That's great to hear" Twilight grinned at them. "And I'm sorry for getting so pushy just now. It's just, I was so sure that what happened to Sunset Shimmer may have had something to do with..Equestrian magic!" She exclaimed, framing the Rainbooms with a triumphant smile.

The Rainbooms gasped simultaneously. 'Rainbow Dash' and 'Rarity's' jaws dropped. 'Fluttershy' dropped her tambourine. 'Pinkie's' hair frizzed out on its own.

One by one, Twilight's friends voiced their agreement. "Well girls, nothing to say?" Twilight teased, placing her hands on her hips.

For a moment, there was no sound. 'Applejack' was the first to speak. "Y-ya'll know about Equestrian Magic? But how?"

"Well _of_ _course_ I know about Equestrian Magic!" Twilight giggled as she raised a hand to her wig and pulled it off with a flourish, revealing her purple hair. "After all...magic _is_ my element" She said in her real voice.

Five sets of eyes widened. "TWILIGHT?" The Rainbooms exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yep! Gotcha!" Twilight said as the other girls burst out laughing.

"Priceless! _Priceless!_ " 'Twilight' squealed as she pulled off her wig.

"I know! That _never_ gets old!" 'Sunset' chortled as she followed suit. She was laughing so hard she had to lean against the wall.

" _You_ two!" 'Rainbow Dash' narrowed her eyes at the two girls.

"Oh, Not _again_!" 'Rarity' dramatically raised a hand to her forehead.

"Seriously?" 'Applejack' shook her head. "Why do y'all keep doin' that to us?"

"Because it's fun!" 'Sunset' cackled as she and Twilight high-fived.

"That makes five times in a row we've fooled them!" 'Twilight' giggled as she pulled out a small notebook and wrote something down in it. "We're getting **so** good at this!" She crowed.

"You do this kind of thing often?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"We prefer to be...inconspicuous when we gather data for our research" 'Sunset' explained, causing Twilight to giggle.

"That _would_ explain why they were so quick at getting our disguises together" Rainbow Dash commented.

"' _Our_ disguises'" 'Rainbow Dash' repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. "Heh heh, oops!" She chuckled nervously, covering her mouth with her hand.

"It's okay. I was just about to tell them anyway" Twilight smiled at her friend before turning to face the Rainbooms' confused faces. "You see girls, I didn't come to Canterlot High alone this time."

"Ooooooh, so these girls are friends of yours from Equestria?" 'Pinkie's eyes lit up. "And that's they they're in disguise, so avoid the confusion of there suddenly being six sets of twins running around, right?"

"You could say that" Twilight giggled. "But, one might also say that these girls are a lot closer to _you_ then they are to me"

"Urgh, enough with the mysteries!" 'Applejack' exclaimed. "Just spit it out already! Who are these girls?"

"You mean you haven't figure it out yet, darling?" Rarity's voice made Applejack grind her teeth.

"No I haven't, Rarity! That's why I was askin' them who they were" The country girl whirled to face 'Rarity'.

"I-I didn't say that, Applejack!" 'Rarity' said, taking a step back. Her eyes were wide with alarm.

"Yes I did" Rarity's voice spoke again, but 'Rarity's mouth hadn't moved.

'Rarity' backed up nervously as everyone stared at her.

"Cool Rarity, I didn't know you could talk without moving your lips!" 'Pinkie' giggled.

"I don't...I mean I can't...I mean..." 'Rarity' stammered.

"Of course I can darling" Rarity's voice floated through the room again. Twilight glanced at Rarity and saw that the girl had covered her mouth with her hand and appeared to be throwing her voice towards her twin. "Speaking with your mind is only _the_ hottest trend anywhere. Anyone with an _ounce_ of magical skill should be able to _easily_ accomplish such a simple task as this"

"What's that supposed to mean?" 'Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed towards 'Rarity' who was looking around the room somewhat desperately.

"Rainbow Dash, I swear, I did not say _any_ of that!" 'Rarity' eye began twitching as she continued looking for the source of the disembodied voice.

"She's right" Twilight narrowed her eyes. "That's enough Rarity" She turned to her friend, who was giggling at the unfolding scene.

"THAT WASN'T ME!" 'Rarity' shrieked from the stage, her fingers curling through her hair, her face a mask of panic.

Seeing Twilight's disapproving look, and her twin's fearful reaction Rarity lowered her hand and adjusted her skirt. "Oh, I _do_ apologize for that childish trick, Twilight" She said, in her own voice "But I saw a golden opportunity to use my new ventriloquism skills and simply _couldn't_ resist" Rarity chuckled before giving her twin a wink.

'Rarity's eyes widened to the size of saucers and she clasped both her hands over her mouth. Her legs wobbled before suddenly giving way. 'Fluttershy' darted forwards, catching 'Rarity as she collapsed.

"Oh my" Rarity's eyes widened as she saw her twin faint. "That's not at all the reaction I was expecting" She said, which caused Applejack and Rainbow Dash to laugh.

"Oh dear! Is she alright?" Fluttershy spoke in her own voice as she darted forwards to help 'Fluttershy', but stopped when her twin squeaked in alarm and almost dropped 'Rarity'. Both girls stared wide-eyed at Fluttershy, who backed away under their gazes, her cheeks turning red and a sheepish look on her face.

"Wow! You two sound just like Rarity and Fluttershy!" 'Pinkie' giggled.

Pinkie giggled as well, "Well gee, I wonder how that could be?" She replied in her own voice, dramatically stroking her chin and wiggling her eyebrows at the Rainbooms.

'Applejack's eyes narrowed as she took a good look at the visiting students. "Wait a minute..."

Applejack winked at her double and ran her fingers along the brim of her hat.

"Twilight" 'Rainbow Dash' said slowly, her surprised look slowly melting into a wide grin. "You didn't!"

Chuckling to herself, Rainbow Dash removed her grey wig, revealing her own rainbow-colored hair. "Oh yes she did!" She crowed in her own voice.

* * *

 **Meanwhile;**

Sunset Shimmer frowned as she looked around the main foyer. There was no sign of Vice-Principal Luna anywhere.

Suddenly, the front doors of the school opened and Flash Sentry stepped in from outside, looking annoyed about something.

"Hey Flash!" Sunset called, strolling over to him.

Flash looked up and his frown faded into a smile. "Oh, Hi Sunset" She said.

"Hey, have you seen Vice Principal Luna? I was told to meet her here" Sunset asked.

"Yeah, I just saw her outside. She and Principal Celestia are greeting the students from Crystal Prep." Flash motioned to the front doors. Sunset noticed that he said the name of the other school with a level of hostility in his voice.

"You okay?" Sunset asked.

"Considering the fact that I just had to endure no less than five insults about CHS in the last two minutes?" Flash growled, then he sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine"

"Don't worry, we'll beat these jokers" Sunset patted Flash on the shoulder.

"I hope you're right Sunset" Flash smiled at her. "Then again, you usually are. I'm glad you're gonna be on the CHS team this year". As soon as Flash said this, Sunset suddenly felt her face grow hot.

 _Why...am I blushing?_ She thought as Flash nodded at her before heading off down the hall. _Flash and I broke up, we're...just friends now, that's all!_ But her thoughts sounded strangely hollow.

Taking a deep breath to clear her head, Sunset strode to the front doors and opened them.

Stepping through, she glanced around at the big crowd of students that had assembled on the lawn. Many of them were staring at their phones or looking around halfheartedly.

Spotting Principal Celestia speaking with two people she assumed were the head teachers of Crystal Prep, Sunset headed down the front steps and began making her way towards them.

A sudden gasp made her pause. She looked to her left to see a young Crystal prep girl with pale skin and two-tone blue hair staring at her wide eyed. As Sunset stared back, the girl nudged the girl next to her, a girl with pink skin and purple hair. The purple haired girl snapped in annoyance to the blue-haired girl, who simply pointed at Sunset. The purple' haired girl looked up, and her look of anger faded into one of astonishment.

 _What's up with them?_ Sunset wondered as she resumed walking, only to bump into a boy with blue skin a minute later.

"Hey! Why don't you watch...where you're going?" The boy's tone, angry at first, changed to one of confusion as he turned and saw who he was talking to. His eyes widened in what was clearly recognition, but Sunset had never seen him before.

"Sorry, excuse me" Sunset grinned at the boy, then darted around him and began to move through the crowd towards Principal Celestia.

As she moved, she heard whispering break out around her and any Crystal Prep student she made eye contact with either gasped or widened their eyes as they stared at her.

 _What's going on?_ Sunset wondered as a pair of Crystal Prep girls actually moved out of her way, staring wide-eyed as she passed. _Why is everyone looking at me like that?_

 _"I guess your reputation spread farther than you realized"_ Sunset frowned as Sunspot's voice echoed in her mind. She heard her demon self chuckle.

 _"Who asked **you**?"_ Sunset muttered darkly as she moved through the crowd.

* * *

"Welcome, Principal Cinch and Dean Sombra" Principle Celestia was greeting the Crystal Prep leaders.

"Thank you, Principal Celestia" Dean Sombra said, giving the woman a look over. He smiled, but it wasn't in a friendly kind of way.

"Vice Principle Luna and our student volunteers can help your students get settled if you would like me to show you around." Principle Celestia continued, seemingly unfazed by the Dean's expression. "There have been quite a few…changes since you visited last"

The two teachers exchanged a glance. "Oh yes, Principal Celestia" Principle Cinch finally said.

"I'm sure that would be…most fascinating" Dean Sombra added as Celestia lead them away.

Vice Principal Luna frowned as she watched them leave. "Now what are those two up to?" She wondered.

"Vice Principal Luna, good to see you again!" A voice rang out and Luna looked up to see a familiar face approaching her.

"And you, Professor Sunburst. It is always a pleasure to see a friendly face." Vice Principle Luna smiled at him as they shook hands. "Even if it means another defeat" She muttered under her breath.

Professor Sunburst chuckled. "Oh, I don't know about that" He said, smiling at Luna. "From what I've been hearing, it may not be as easy this time around"

"Oh?" Luna raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Word is that Canterlot High has really started to get its act together" Professor Sunburst said as he turned to look at the school. "I look forward to seeing what sort of challenge you present to us this time around."

Luna smiled. "Well, in that case, you may just be surprised"

"Ahem" The two teachers looked around to see Starlight and her five partners standing nearby. "Dean Sombra said we were supposed to check in with you, Professor Sunburst" Starlight said.

"Ah yes" Their teacher replied, before turning back to Luna. "Luna, allow me to present half of the team that will be competing for Crystal Prep. These are Starlight Glimmer, Lemon Zest, Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare" He turned to the girls. "Girls, this is Vice Principal Luna of Canterlot High"

"A pleasure to meet all of you." Luna nodded and smiled at the girls, who did not smile back. "I look forward to seeing you on the games field"

"Oh you'll see us on field alright" Indigo Zap chuckled. "You'll see us winning! Again!"

"Indigo Zap! That was uncalled for!" Professor Sunburst scolded as Luna frowned.

"But it's true" Sugarcoat added in her usually monotone. "We've never lost a match, even once, why would we start now?"

Professor Sunburst cleared his throat, and glared at his students before turning back the Luna. "I apologize for the behavior of my students. They are all the top of my class and unfortunately, this makes them very competitive"

"No, no, that's quite alright, Professor Sunburst" Luna smiled. "This _is_ a competition after all. Some level of competitiveness is expected" Placing her hands on her hips, she stared down at the Crystal Prep girls with an iron-clad look in her eye. "As for you six, your confidence is admirable, but I would not be so quick to gloat if I were you." Luna's smile widened as Indigo Zap's gaze faltered under her own. "The games haven't started yet, and I truly think this may be the year Canterlot High takes the title"

"Wow, you sound really confident" Sour Sweet purred "And really ridiculous" she growled.

"Sour Sweet! That is enough!" Professor Sunburst barked. "From all of you!"

"Actually, it's a good thing we ran into you, Vice Principal Luna" Starlight stepped forward.

"Oh?" Luna raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you see…" Starlight began. "The six of us are doing a report on Canterlot High as part of our senior class projects"

"You are?" Luna asked, raising her _other_ eyebrow.

"We are?" Lemon Zest sounded equally surprised. Starlight kept smiling at Luna, but stepped hard on Lemon Zest's foot. "Ow! Oh yeah, of course we are!" The girl yelped.

"Yes, and we were wondering if you would be kind enough to give us a tour of the school and answer a few questions" Starlight continued, giving Luna her sweetest smile.

For a moment Luna blinked, as if confused, then she smiled back. "I see. That sounds like a wonderful idea. Unfortunately though, Principal Celestia and I do not have time to give you a tour, but I'm sure that one of our students can fulfill your request. Wait here please"

With that, Luna turned away from them and disappeared into the crowd.

"Hmm, I didn't know you were doing a project on Canterlot High, Starlight" Professor Sunburst stroked his beard, his eyebrow raised.

"Umm yeah" Starlight, scuffed her foot, pretending to look embarrassed. "It's actually a make-up assignment that Principle Cinch gave us. you know, to...make up for doing so badly on our original project"

Professor Sunburst nodded, a small smile playing on his face. "I see." He said.

Starlight could feel cold looks from the other girls as she smiled back at him. She didn't feel so hot herself. Professor Sunburst had always been her favorite teacher. She hated lying to him, but it was either that for fail the assignment, and failure was unacceptable.

"Well, in that case, I wish you luck. If you'll excuse me, I need to go check with the bus drivers. Be right back" Professor Sunburst started towards a group or men in black uniforms who were muttering angrily about something.

"What was that all about?" Lemon Zest growled, rubbing her sore foot.

"You know a better way to move freely around a rival school without arousing suspicion?" Starlight smirked as she pulled a small camera out of her pocket. "I'll keep this 'student' distracted, the rest of you can check for magical energy readings."

"That's…" Lemon Zest paused. "Actually a good idea"

"Hmh, it could work" Indigo Zap shrugged.

"It should work" Starlight tossed the camera to Lemon Zest. "Be sure to take some pictures if we find any readings, okay?"

Lemon Zest nodded and Starlight smiled. The girl was a ditz, but she did follow orders well.

Just then, Starlight became aware of a faint buzzing noise. She glanced down. Her pendant was glowing again.

Starlight smirked. "'Looks like we may not need to wait for the tour after all" She said, holding her pendant up.

"Cool!" Lemon Zest exclaimed as Starlight turned towards the school. Sure enough, the glowing portion of the pendant was pointing towards the building. "Let's go find that magical energy!"

"We can't _all_ go." Sugarcoat pointed out. "What's Vice Principal Luna gonna say when she comes back and we're all gone?

"Sugarcoat's right" Starlight admitted. "Only one of us should go"

"Really? You don't say?" Sunny Flare said sarcastically, not bothering to look up from her nails.

Starlight frowned at the girl, then grinned. "Thanks for volunteering Sunny Flare" She said.

"What?" Sunny Flare glanced up.

"Nose goes!" Starlight quickly said, placing her index finger on the tip of her nose. The other four girls quickly copied her.

"Seriously?" Sunny Flare groaned as she gazed from one girl to another.

"Sorry Sunny, them's the rules" Lemon Zest said while everyone else grinned at her.

"Urrgh, fine!" Sunny snapped, putting her nail file away and holding up her pendant. "How does this thing work again?" She asked.

Starlight fought the urge to role her eyes. "The light acts like a compass, just follow it once you get inside. Once you get close to the source, the light will become solid. Then open the compartment and take a reading" She instructed. "And try not to break the scanner!" She added as Sunny Flare turned and began moving towards the school.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Sunny Flare called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the crowd.

"Ahem" The girls looked up to see that Vice Principal Luna had returned. "Girls, meet your tour guide" She stepped aside to reveal a girl standing behind her.

Five jaws dropped at the same time. Five gasps filled the air. Five pairs of eyes grew wide. "SUNSET?" Five voices gasped aloud.

* * *

 **Inside Canterlot High:**

"NO WAY!" The five Rainbooms exclaimed as the realization that the 'visiting students' were their Equestrian twins in disguise fully hit them.

"WAY!" Twilight's five friends exclaimed in reply, in their own voices, pulling off their wigs as proof.

For a moment, there was stunned silence, then the five set of twins rushed forward to meet each other. The room was filled with the sound of excited voices.

"Allll riiight!"

"This is amazing!"

"I don't believe it!"

"Simply fantastic!"

"Aw yeah!"

Twilight smiled as she watched her friends mingle with their twins. She could hear the two Applejacks were talking about their families, the two Rarities were admiring each other's outfits. In the corner of the room, 'Pinkie' was showing her twin how to play the drum set and the two Fluttershys were discussing something in low voices.

"They seem to be taking to each other well, don't they?" Twilight smiled at her twin.

"Yeah" 'Twilight' nodded. "This was a great idea"

"Uh, Twilight" Both Twilights looked up to see that 'Sunset' suddenly looked _really_ nervous. "I just realized something" She said, pointing to the center of the band room, where the two Rainbow Dashes were slowly circling each other, as if sizing each other up. "What's going to happen if they...?" Her voice broke off as she looked at them.

Twilight raised an eyebrow What was 'Sunset' talking about? Suddenly, her twin gasped.

"Oh no" 'Twilight' breathed, her voice tight with horror as Rainbow Dash smiled at her twin and extended her hand. Smiling as well, 'Rainbow Dash extended her own hand to meet it.

"Wait!" 'Twilight' cried out, rushing forward as the two girls moved to clasp hands. "Don't!"

But it was too late. The second they clasped hands, both girls were suddenly enveloped in brilliant blue light. A stiff wind began to form inside the band room and sparkles of energy shot out in every direction.

"What's happening?" Fluttershy cried out as the two Rainbow Dashes were lifted off the ground.

"What are you doing?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" _I'm_ not doing this!" Her twin replied fearfully. Her gaze met Twilight's.

As Twilight stared at what was happening, her memory suddenly clicked back to the Halloween dance, when she saw the two Sunsets shake hands.

"Both of you! Let go! Now!" 'Twilight' ordered. Next to her, 'Sunset' began fishing in her bag for something.

With a visible effort, the two girls managed to release their hands. The glow instantly faded and both girls floated back down the ground.

"What...just...happened?" Rarity asked, her eyes wide.

"Umm...well..." Twilight struggled to find the right words

"It was a TDEA" 'Twilight' answered

"A what?" Several girls asked.

"A Twin-Dimensional Energy Anomaly" 'Twilight' explained. "Our research has uncovered that twin beings from different dimensions have near-identical particular energy signatures, and if more than one of them converge in one place, this creates an energetic imbalance in the space-time continuum, leading to uncontrollable release of energy as the energy struggles to restore balance"

"Ah" Twilight nodded thoughtfully. "I suspected as much"

"Ah'm glad _one_ of us understands what's goin on" _'_ Applejack' commented. Her twin looked just as confused, as did everyone else in the room. "Now maybe ya could explain it to the rest of us"

"Let's put it this way" Twilight turned to the others. "There's energy all around us, right? Energy exists in everything, living or not, and can be found everywhere, in the earth, in the air, anywhere. The reason why Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies are able to manipulate magic, the weather, and the Earth in Equestria is because we can tap into that energy to do so"

"And?" Rainbow Dash pressed

"And, the energy found in this world is very similar from the energy that exists in Equestria. so those of you from there would have a similar energy signature than those of us who are from here" 'Sunset' continued.

"So we all have the same 'energy' as you say" 'Applejack' scratched her head. "That don't sound like a problem"

"It's not, if these similar energies remain separate." 'Twilight replied. "If you put two magnets of the same charge together, they're naturally going to repel each other. The more you try to push them together, the more they will resist each other. The energy between the magnetic fields gets stronger as the magnets get closer together" 'Twilight and 'Sunset exchanged a glance before 'Twilight' continued. "We think a similar situation may be happening here. Basically, the fact that there are now more than one of each of us in the same place is causing an energy imbalance, and as the energy struggles to correct itself, that's what causes a release of magical energy similar to what you just saw"

"You sure?" 'Rainbow Dash' raised an eyebrow.

'Sunset' nodded as she stepped up to them. "Trust me, I've experimented enough times with my twin to be completely sure about this."

"Oh yeah, and we all saw it happen at the Halloween Dance when the two Sunsets shook hands, remember?" 'Pinkie' suddenly spoke up.

The Rainbooms nodded, recalling the event.

"So, you're saying that we'll cause magical energy imbalances every time we come into contact with each other?" Fluttershy asked, glancing nervously at her twin, who also looked nervous. Both girls backed away from each other.

"Not exactly" 'Sunset' held out a pair of gloves to Rainbow Dash. "Based on our observations, the imbalance only seems to occur with skin-to-skin contact. As long as at least one of you has your skin covered, you should be fine."

One by one, Twilight's friends came forward and each took a pair of gloves from 'Sunset'.

"Does our Sunset know about this?" 'Rarity' asked as she watched her twin pull in her gloves.

"Mm hm" 'Twilight' nodded. "But we'd prefer no one bring it up, or demonstrate it in front of her"

"How come?" 'Pinkie' asked.

"Because we kinda don't want her knowing that we're all here" Twilight couldn't stop the giggle that followed.

The Rainbooms all looked at each other. "Why not?" 'Applejack' finally asked.

"Well it wouldn't be much of a surprise birthday part if Sunset knew about it, wouldn't it?" Pinkie giggled.

"Huh?" The Rainbooms all gasped in surprise, except for 'Pinkie'

"Oh come on! You girls really don't know it's Sunset's birthday tomorrow?" She chided.

The other Rainbooms looked at each other, and shook their heads.

"Well it is, and that's the reason we're all here." Twilight said. "To throw Sunset the best birthday party she's ever had!"

One by one, the Rainbooms' surprised expressions morphed into smiles.

"So, you girls wanna help?" Twilight asked playfully.

"I'm in" 'Rainbow Dash' answered

"As am I" 'Rarity' nodded

"Me too" 'Fluttershy spoke up

"Count me in" 'Applejack' finished

Everyone looked at 'Pinkie', who snorted. "Oh, like you even have to ask!" She said.

"Excellent" Twilight smirked. "Hopefully this inter-school competition will keep Sunset distracted long enough for us to get everything set up."

"Oh don't worry about that" 'Rainbow Dash' spoke up. "The Equestrian Games are the only thing she's talked about for weeks, well..." She hesitated. "That, and figuring out how magic is supposed to work" She glanced at 'Sunset' and 'Twilight' who exchanged a glance.

"We're still working on that" 'Twilight' admitted sheepishly. Next to her, 'Sunset' looked at the floor.

"It's fine" Twilight smiled at them. "We know you're doing all you can." She turned back to the others. "Now, who's ready to help plan the best birthday party ever?" She announced, stretching out a hand.

"LET'S DO IT!" Everyone placed her hand on top of Twilight's and they let out a cheer.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, outside the school:**

Sunset Shimmer's eyes widened at the reactions of the six Crystal Prep girls in front of her. Each of them were staring at her like she was out of this world. And how did they all know her name?

"Um…yes?" She finally said, glancing at Vice Principle Luna, who looked just as confused as she did.

"Sunset?" The girl with teal streaks in her hair stepped forward. "Sunset Shimmer?"

"Yeah, that's me" Sunset nodded, looking closely at the girl. "And you are...?"

To her surprise, the girl recoiled as if she had just been slapped. "Sunset, it's me, Starlight Glimmer!"

Sunset racked her brains, but couldn't recall that name anywhere. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone named Starlight Glimmer."

Six gasps echoed through the air in response, drawing the attention of those in the crowd who weren't already watching.

"Wow, and I thought Sugarcoat was harsh. OW!" The green-haired girl yelped as the white haired girl next to her punched her on the shoulder

"How could you say something like that?" The girl named Starlight exclaimed loudly. She seemed on the verge of tears.

What's going on here?" Sunset looked up and her eyes widened. A man was approaching them, with a skin and hair color very similar to her own. He had wire-rimmed glasses and a small beard. When he saw Sunset standing there, he paused, and his eyes widened. "Sunset?" He gasped.

"Yes" Sunset said, taking a step back.

"Well well" The man smiled stepping forward and placing a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "This _is_ a surprise. You should have told us you were coming"

To Sunset's surprise, the man knelt down and pulled her into a hug. She struggled in the man's grasp. "Let go of me!" She cried out.

"Professor Sunburst, release my student this instant!" Vice Principal Luna's voice rang through the air.

Sunset heard gasps echo all around her and felt the teacher holding her stiffen. She broke out of his grasp and ran to Vice Principal Luna.

Professor Sunburst slowly got to his feet, his eyes wide. " _Your_ student?" He asked as he adjusted his glasses, the confusion on his face evident in his voice.

"Yes, Sunset Shimmer is a valued student here at Canterlot High" Vice Principal Luna's eyes narrowed to angry slits. Sunset felt her heart leap upon hearing Luna's praise of her. "Really Professor Sunburst! I never would have expected such disgraceful behavior from you! " Luna snapped.

The confusion in Professor Sunburst's face quickly faded, and was replaced by anger. "Now wait just a minute!" He exclaimed. "That girl just happens to be...!"

"Sister?" Everyone looked up to see Principal Celestia approaching, with Principal Cinch and Dean Sombra at her heels. "What's going on here?" Celestia demanded.

"Sunset?" Principal Cinch's eyes widened when she saw Sunset.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Dean Sombra demanded

"This is getting ridiculous" Sunset muttered under her breath as she backed away from the approaching teachers. She stopped when she felt Luna's hand on her shoulder.

"Luna, what's going on?" Principal Celestia asked again, louder this time.

"I just witnessed Professor Sunburst roughhousing one of our best students, sister" Vice Principal Luna's voice was as cold as the look she threw at Professor Sunburst.

"Y _our_ student?" Dean Sombra repeated. Next to him, Principal Cinch raised an eyebrow.

"What? No! That's not what happened at all! I was just...!" Professor Sunburst started to say.

"Is that so?" Principal Celestia cut him off. Now _her_ eyes narrowed at the confused teacher. She crossed her arms and moved to stand in front of Sunset. "I have to admit, Professor Sunburst, I'm quite surprised to hear this. Just because Sunset Shimmer is playing against you today, doesn't give you the right to abuse her like that"

"Wait, Sunset's playing on _your_ team?" Indigo Zap asked. The girl was staring at Sunset like she was an alien, as were all the girls except for Starlight, who was giving her a look of pure hatred.

"Why shouldn't she?" Luna responded. "She's a Wondercolt, after all"

"She's a _what_?" Dean Sombra exclaimed. Principal Cinch's eyes widened next to him. Sunset could now feel very eye upon her and the heat of everyone's gazes made her shift uneasily.

"Sunset, why don't you go and see if the rest of your classmates are ready for the opening ceremony, while we try to sort this out?" Principal Celestia turned to Sunset.

Sunset shuddered and backed up a few steps. The principal's eyes were no longer bright and sunny, they were cold and hard, just like Princess Celestia's eyes when she got upset. Sunset had only seen that happen a few times, but it was _not_ something you forgot.

"Y-yes Principal Celestia, right away" Sunset answered, then turned and moved quickly towards the school doors. The crowd of Crystal Prep students parted before her.

"Sunset wait!" She heard Professor Sunburst call out after her, but she didn't even look back as she headed for the school. As she walked, she heard whispering from all around her and her eyes caught the faces of many Crystal Prep students as she passed. Many were surprised, but many were also angry and shaking their heads at her. Several students even turned their backs to her when they noticed her looking.

 _What just happened?_ Sunset wondered, her mind spinning as she climbed up the steps. _Why are all the Crystal Prep students and teachers acting this away around me_ _?_

 _"Obviously your reputation has expanded beyond Canterlot High! I mean, did you **see** the look on everyone's faces? They're practically terrified of you!_ _"_ Sunspot's voice whispered gleefully in Sunset's head as she reached the top of the stairs.

"But I'm not like that anymore" Sunset muttered through clenched teeth as she opened the main doors.

" _Well, good luck convincing **them** of that_ " Sunspot replied and Sunset's heart sank as the raised voices of the five teachers seemed to echo behind her as stepped back inside the school. She was too far away to make out any of their words, but her gut was telling her that they were words she didn't want to hear.

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **Wow, it's been a long time since I updated this story, but I saw this as one of the key points in the plot and I wanted to make sure it was perfect. Even when I thought it was ready to be submitted, I'd always find some little thing to add or change whenever I re-read it. For example, Rarity's ventriloquism bit, and Applejack commenting on her twin's 'honesty' were both last-minute additions that I thought would be humorous. If you want to see that again, let me know. The big reveal turned out longer than I expected, but that's an important scene an I wanted to highlight it as such.**

 **One thing that I liked during the Friendship Games was Twilight's confusion at the fact that everyone as CHS knew who she was, especially the rest of the humane 6. If I were her, I would have been running for the doors, especially when they revealed they knew Spike's name too. I wanted to try to incorporate that confusion into Sunset Shimmer, who still feels like an outcast in this world. This complication is further complicated by the actions of Professor Sunburst. For those of you who are wondering, there _was_ a reason why he tried to hug Sunset, but I'm not saying what it is. See if you can guess. **

**Speaking of Sunset, are there sparks flying between her and Flash Sentry? Will they get back together? Like I said, I'm not saying anything (Hee hee hee!)**

 **So, now the Rainbooms and the Mane 6 know about each other (mostly) and we have a theory as to why the Twilights and Sunsets glowed when they came into contact in the last story. But with seven sets of twins now running around, it's gonna be difficult to keep them all apart. And what about Starlight and crew? Will they end up discovering the magic that is present at CHS? To find out, stay tuned!**

 **I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out, as exams are drawing closer. Just give me some patience and I'll see what I can do.**

 **Until next time!**


	12. Chapter 10

Tang Ri Shan

 **My Little Pony Equestria Girls- Project Tantabus**

 **(This is a sequel to Equestria Girls- Seeing Double)**

 **Ch 10**

Sunny Flare snorted in annoyance as she moved down the hallway, the scanner held out in front of her. Before, the device had lit up like a Christmas tree, but now it was barely showing a reading at all.

"Stupid thing" She muttered under her breath, pointing it in different directions, praying that the light would come back on, but so far, nothing. "Work already!" She demanded, tapping the casing. Nothing happened.

"Urgh! I'm thirsty" Sunny Flare muttered. Spying a drinking fountain, she headed over to quench her thirst. As she bent over the fountain, she heard footsteps behind her. She glanced up unconsciously, and stiffened as she saw Sunset Shimmer passing by.

 _Sunset Shimmer? What is **she** doing **here**?_ Sunny wondered as she watched the girl pass by. Sunset was a Crystal Prep alumnus, she had no business being at Canterlot High! Then Sunny suddenly smiled, _the games!_ She thought. Sunset must have come to watch the games.

That thought made Sunny smile fade to a frown. Like most of the Crystal Prep students, Sunny was very competitive, and as such, hated being outshined by someone else. That's what made her cold to most people. But strangely, Sunset was a different story. While she didn't like the fact that the red-haired girl had been outshining her and the other Shadowbolts for the three years they shared the same classrooms, Sunny Flare didn't share the same level of enmity towards the red-haired girl that most of her classmates had. Maybe it was because the two girls both had family members in professions they didn't like to talk about.

A sudden buzzing noise cut into Sunny Flare's thoughts. She glanced down to see that her scanner had hit up again.

Straightening up from the fountain, Sunny Flare turned to scan the hallway again. She paused, the scanner was brightest when she pointed it in the direction Sunset was going.

 _Hmmm, interesting._ Sunny Flare thought as she gazed at Sunset's retreating back. As if homing in on her thoughts, Sunset suddenly paused and looked back. Sunny Flare froze as the girl locked eyes with her, but Sunset's gaze swept over Sunny's face and paused on the girl's uniform. Sunset cringed and quickly continued walking down the hall.

Sunny Flare blinked, then she slowly grinned. _Well, Well, looks like someone has something to_ hide. Sunny shared her aunt's passion with uncovering dirt on other people, and she couldn't resist the temptation of learning a new secret. _Let's find out what._ Wiping water from her bottom lip, Sunny Flare moved to follow Sunset down the hall.

* * *

 **A minute later:**

Sunset walked into the music room to find the Rainbooms and the visiting students chatting merrily amongst themselves. None of them looked up when she entered.

Sunset felt a frown cross her face as she saw that Scarlett Flare seemed to be dominating the conversation. She was doing some strange kind of imitation. As she watched, a light suddenly flashed behind Sunset's eyes and Scarlet suddenly seemed to morph into Sunset herself, which gave an evil grin and winked at her. Sunset blinked rapidly and the vision dissolved, leaving behind a strangely strong surge of envy.

 _Why do I feel like this?_ Sunset wondered as she closed the music room door. _My friends would never replace me!_ But her words felt strangely empty as she watched everyone laugh at Scarlett's antics.

Rarity suddenly turned towards the door, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, but she paused when she noticed Sunset standing there. Her smile faded into a look of concern. "Sunset! Whatever is the matter?" She exclaimed, causing the laughter and conversation to cease.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, rising to her feet.

"Yeah, you look like you've seen a ghost!" Pinkie added.

Seeing the concern on her friend's faces, Sunset instantly felt better. At least they still cared about her. "I'm okay, just really confused. The weirdest thing just happened to me outside" She said as she strode over to the bleachers and sat down.

"Weird in what way?" Rainbow Dash asked as the Rainbooms moved as one to sit with her.

Basking in the comfort of her friend's concern, Sunset opened her mouth to answer, then her gaze fell upon the visiting students, who had remained standing, and she hesitated. It was bad enough that they had seen her pony up, she didn't want to degrade herself any farther in front of their guests.

As if sensing her thoughts, Crystal's eyes suddenly widened. "Uh girls, I think this might be our cue to leave" She said, glancing at the other visiting students.

"Leave? But why? We were just starting to have fun!" Cotton Candy asked.

"Because...We need to go see where we need to sit in order to watch the games, _remember_?" Crystal said, placing emphasis on the last word as she gazed at the other visiting students. At the same time, she nodded her head towards Sunset.

Sunset raised an eyebrow at Crystal's suddenly forceful tone, and it rose even further when each of the girls suddenly nodded and voice agreement. They all started towards the door.

"Crystal's right" Scarlett said as she brought up the rear. "Let's leave the band to their thoughts"

 _"Translation, they just want to get away from **you** , fast as possible"_ Sunspot chuckled darkly, making Sunset's lip curl.

"Hold it!" Applejack's voice made the group pause. "There's no need for y'all to leave!" She said as she got to her feet and brushed something off her skirt.

"There isn't?" Wildflower asked.

Applejack shook her head and turned to Sunset. She knelt down and took Sunsets' hand in her own. "Listen Sunset, if the thing that's buggin' ya is what ah think it is, then you'd be better off letting it out now. Ah know that we all agreed to keep quiet about the magic that's been runnin' around here of late, but these girls have already seen the magic appear right in front of them."

Sunset felt her face heat up. "Yeah, because of me" She mumbled, feeling her spirits sink even lower.

Applejack's eyes widened as she realized her mistake and she glanced pleadingly towards the other girls.

"Wait a minute, Sunset" Rainbow Dash moved to stand in front of her. "What happened earlier was _not_ your fault, and you know it!" She said.

"Huh?" Sunset looked up. "It's not?"

"Of course not! You had no idea that would happen! Right?" Rainbow Dash looked at Sunset expectantly.

"Uh, right, of course not" Sunset quickly said, before letting out a nervous chuckle.

"See? So no harm done." Applejack nodded. "Besides, we've been talkin' it over with these girls, and they've agreed to keep our secret, ain't that right girls?" Applejack turned to look at the visiting students, who all nodded and smiled, except for Scarlett, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Scarlett?" Applejack's voice suddenly became hard. "Ain't that right?"

Everyone turned to look at Scarlett. Feeling everyone's gaze upon her, her red-haired girl seemed to falter. "Okay, Okay fine, my lips are, like, sealed". She leaned against the piano and crossed her arms, suddenly looking bored with the whole situation.

 _"Liar Liar, skirt on fire!"_ Sunspot giggled. _"Better keep an eye on that one Sunset, or YOU'LL be the one getting burned!"_

Sunset frowned. What was _that_ supposed to mean?

Crystal must have seen Sunset's expression because she sighed and shook her head. "Ignore the drama queen over there, Sunset" She motioned to Scarlett, who looked away. "We'll gladly keep your secret."

Yeah, we're totally trustworthy!" Gray Light winked at Sunset.

"And totally talkable to!" Cotton Candy piped up.

"Huh?" Several girls looked at her in confusion, but Wildflower grinned.

"I think that Cotton Candy is trying to say, Sunset, is that if you've got something on your mind that's bothering you, you can let it out in front of us. We won't judge you" She said sweetly.

Sunset felt herself smile, but her heart fluttered nervously. She _wanted_ to spill, she really did, but she didn't really understand what was happening herself, she wasn't sure how these new girls could help.

"C'mon Sunset, it couldn't hurt" Fluttershy placed a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "After all, _we_ trust them."

Sunset was surprised to feel the envy she had before gain new strength at those words. Her gaze moved from one expectant face to another. Finally, she sighed and smiled. "You're right Fluttershy. If you all trust these new girls, then I guess I should too" She said, casting her feelings of doubt and envy to the darkest part of her mind.

"Thanks" The new girls moved to join the Rainbooms on the bleachers, except for Cirrus and Scarlett, who remained standing.

"So, what happened outside?" Crystal asked as she sat next to Sunset.

"It was the weirdest thing" Sunset grimaced as she recalled what had happened earlier. "I finally found Vice Principal Luna outside, greeting the Crystal Prep students. But as I came up to her, all the Shadowbolts began staring at me, like I was a ghost or something"

"'Really?" The girls all leaned closer.

"Yeah, and at first I thought it was because they knew who I was or...who I used to be." Sunset's face fell as she spoke. But Applejack patted her on the shoulder and she continued. "I mean, they obviously seemed to know who I was, but I had never seen any of them before. And then, when I came up to Vice Principal Luna, she was talking to this group of girls and when they saw me they just...freaked out!"

"They did?" Cirrus cloud asked, suddenly looking nervous. "Did you get their names?"

Sunset paused, trying to remember. "Only one that I can recall. Starlight Glimmer, I think"

A sudden gasp made everyone look up to see Scarlett's eyes had widened. Seeing everyone looking, she coughed. "Sorry, I like, had something in my throat" She said. "Go on"

Sunset frowned at the girl's tone, but continued. "Anyway, I've seen a lot of weird things in my time, but nothing that was like this. This Starlight girl acted like we had known each other for a long time, which, of course was impossible, but when I told her this, she acted horrified. I swear she was on the verge of tears."

"Really?" Cirrus and Scarlett exchanged a look.

And then, this Crystal Prep professor came out of nowhere, and when he saw me, he hugged me" Sunset continued.

"WHAT?" Everyone gasped.

"Yeah, like I was some long-lost family member or something" Sunset bit her lip as she recalled how similar the man had looked to her.

For a moment, the room was filled with stunned silence.

"Um...what did this professor look like?" Cirrus asked. She looked _really_ nervous now.

Sunset looked up at her. "Tall, yellow skin, reddish hair, kinda looked like me, actually, except he was a guy. They called him Professor Sunburst"

"Professor Sunburst? Are you sure it was him?" Scarlett suddenly exclaimed, making everyone jump. Her face had suddenly gone pale and her voice had risen in pitch. Sunset blinked in surprise. Scarlet's voice now sounded eerily similar to her own.

Scarlet suddenly coughed. "I-I mean, are you, like sure you heard correctly?" She said in her valley-girl tone again. "Maybe you just, like, totally misheard him. You were like, obviously in shock, or something"

"No, I heard his name quite clearly" Sunset said slowly, trying to keep her rising annoyance to Scarlet's tone in check. "But what was _shocking,_ was how surprised he, along with the other Crystal Prep staff and students, seemed _very_ surprised to find out that I was competing for Canterlot High"

"You...you're playing for Canterlot High in today's competition?" Cirrus's eyes widened and she and Scarlett exchanged another look. Both girls had expressions of genuine surprise on their faces.

"Uh, yeah" Sunset said, feeling a little confused by the girl's reactions.

" _Of course,_ Sunset's playing for the Wondercolts!" Rainbow Dash crowed. "She's one of the smartest kids in our school!"

Sunset blushed as the other Rainbooms nodded in agreement. "When it comes to academic achievement, Sunset's practically unbeaten. She's got the highest scoring in every one of her classes" Applejack said. "Crystal Prep doesn't stand a chance as long as we've got Sunset with us!"

"Uh huh!" The other Rainbooms nodded.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive" Cirrus said. But there was an unusual amount of smugness in her voice, and in the look that she threw at Scarlet. "Don't you think so, Scarlet?"

Scarlet snorted and examined her nails. "Yeah, whatever." She said. But before she could say anything more, there was a knock at the door. It swung open to reveal Vice-Principal Luna standing there, an annoyed expression on her face

"Vice Principal Luna, what's goin' on? Applejack asked.

The woman didn't answer, her gaze swept the room, and landed on Sunset. "Ah Sunset, I was hoping I might find you here" She said.

Sunset felt her heart sink. _Oh great, what now?_ Vice Principal Luna usually didn't seek you out directly unless you were in big trouble.

 _Maybe she found out about my ponying up_ , Sunset thought miserably.

"Can I have a word with you, outside?" Luna said, and from her tone, Sunset knew that she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Sunset sighed as she got to her feet. "I'll be right back" She said sadly as she strode to the door. Luna moved aside to let her pass, turned to look at the other girls for a minute, and stepped out too, closing the door with a snap.

* * *

"The Vice-Principal _really_ looks upset about something" Fluttershy commented as the door closed.

The Rainbooms nodded, exchanging nervous glances. Twilight and her friends looked concerned too.

"She's not the only one" 'Sunset' said, dropping her valley-girl voice.

'Twilight' nodded'. "They think she's you, don't they?"

'Sunset' sighed, but returned the nod. "It's the only logical explanation"

'Twilight' shook her head, drawing a hissed breath of annoyance. "I can't believe we didn't see this coming!"

"See what coming? " Twilight looked from one solemn face to the other. "What are you two talking about?"

The two girls glanced at each other, their faces mirror images of nervousness, then they turned to face the others.

"We…were hoping not to have to tell you this until after the games were over" 'Twilight' started "But…"

"Given what Sunset just described, it's probably best that we tell you now" 'Sunset' finished.

"Tell us what?" Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow. Next to her, Rainbow Dash's expression became one of suspicion.

'Twilight' took a deep breath. "As you know, Canterlot High is going to be competing against Crystal Prep Academy in the Equestrian Games today."

"Yeah" Twilight nodded, not exactly sure where the girls were going with this.

"Well, the thing is... 'Sunny' and I... We're both Crystal Prep alumni" 'Twilight' confessed.

For a moment, there was silence, then five voices simultaneously shouted "WHAT?"

"You _are?"_ Twilight's eyes widened.

Both girls nodded, their expressions and body postures betraying their feelings of guilt.

"Why didn't you say so before?" 'Applejack' asked, looking bewildered.

"We didn't say anything because we didn't want to stoke any feelings that might distract you from the competition" 'Sunset' answered.

"Or, anything that would ruin our friendship with you." 'Twilight shuffled on her feet, looking embarrassed. "We thought that if you knew, you wouldn't want to be our friends anymore, especially considering the histories that our two schools have"

Rarity' scoffed. "Oh, that's simply ridiculous! We've been through too much to let something as trivial as _that_ come between us!"

'Twilight' brightened. "You mean that?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course," 'Fluttershy nodded smiling at her and 'Sunset'. Both girls looked relieved.

"Wait a second" Applejack held up her hand, her face scrunched up in a thoughtful frown. "So what yer sayin' is, if the human Sunset is a formal Crystal Pep student, and the two Sunsets are perfect lookalikes…"

"Then that means…Oh no!" Twilight suddenly groaned and put her face in her hands.

'Sunset' nodded sadly. "They think that your Sunset is _me_." He said.

"Does Sunset know about this?" Twilight looked up from her hands.

'Twilight' and 'Sunset' exchanged a pained look, and both girls shook their heads.

"So you're saying that Sunset is about to compete against a school of super-competitive students who all claim to know her, but she doesn't know any of them or why they all claim to know her?" Pinkie summarized.

'Sunset' nodded. "It looks that way"

"We didn't realize that Sunset was going to be competing for Canterlot High." 'Twilight' said. "If we had, we would have tried to talk her out of it"

"It would have been a waste of time" 'Rarity' shook her head. "Sunset is completely determined to compete this year. She was really hoping to give Canterlot High its first victory in the Equestrian Games."

Rainbow Dash suddenly chuckled. "What kind of name is that anyway? 'The Equestrian Games?' Sounds like something fillies back home might take part in" She said.

The Rainbooms looked at each other. "Actually, no one really knows how the Games got its name" 'Rainbow Dash' finally spoke up. "What we _do_ know that the Games have been the source of a traditional rivalry that Canterlot High and Crystal Prep have held for a really long time. Every four years, the two schools get together and select the best of their number to compete in a series of events"

"What kind of events?" Rainbow Dash leaned forward eagerly.

Her twin shrugged. "It varies from one year to the next, the same event is almost never used twice in succession. The only major continuation is that horses is usually a theme in at least _one_ of the challenges."

"Well, the name of the competition _alone_ would indicate that!" Rarity pointed out, causing the rest of the girls to giggle.

"Word is there are three parts to the games. There's one part involving mental strength, and one involving physical strength, and one that involves a combination of the two. To win, a school needs to win two of the three events." 'Rainbow Dash' summarized.

"Huh, that don't sound so hard" Applejack commented.

"Yeah, you'd think so" Her twin muttered. "But somehow Crystal Prep has managed to beat us every...single...time"

"Yeah, so we heard" Rainbow Dash's words drew everyone back to the rally. The atmosphere in the room turned glum.

"Well, it _certainly_ hasn't been due to lack of effort on your part, from what we've heard" 'Twilight' said, trying to lighten the mood.

'Sunset' nodded. "There've been a few close calls in the history of the Games" She said. "Twily and I didn't compete in the last one, we were only freshmen, but I remember someone saying it was only a matter of time before CHS would win, and he was a CPA professor."

'Rainbow Dash' snorted "Thanks for the effort, but we don't need sympathy from a pair of Shadowbolts"

" _EX_ -Shadowbolts!" 'Sunset' corrected Rainbow Dash fiercely, making the girl jump. "And we will thank you all to remember that!"

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" 'Rainbow Dash' yelped, backing away from the angry 'Sunset'

'Twilight' nodded, also looking angry. "Trust us girls, we have no more love for Crystal Prep than you do!"

Everyone looked confused by this statement. "What do you mean by that?" Applejack asked. "You were both students there"

'Twilight' and 'Sunset' exchanged another sad look. Then 'Twilight' answered. "Yes, but that doesn't mean we enjoyed our time there. You see, Crystal Prep academy is supposedly one of the best schools in the nation"

"Canterlot High would probably disagree" Twilight joked, but stopped when she saw that neither girl was smiling. "Go on" She urged.

"Well, that success comes at a price. At CPA, who you are is usually determined by how successful you are. All Shadowbolts are taught early on that they are expected to be the best of the best, and so the students spend most of their time competing against each other in order to become the very best" 'Twilight' continued.

"So? What's the problem?" 'Rainbow Dash' asked.

"The problem is, the more successful you are, the more jealous the other students are of you" 'Sunset' answered, glancing down at the floor. "But if you do poorly in a subject, the teachers and students see you as beneath them"

'Rarity' gasped. "Really?"

Her twin nodded sadly. "It's almost impossible to make true friends there because no one ever gets happy, or excited, over something they didn't do themselves. They're too busy trying to outdo each other"

"That's terrible" 'Fluttershy' looked horrified

"Sunset and I graduated at the top of our class. Our test scores and assessments were among some of the highest ever seen at CPA." 'Twilight' continued. "As you can guess, that didn't exactly make us popular there. I remember people used to glare at me as I walked down the hall." 'Twilight's shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"But despite the constant inter-school competition, nearly every member of CPA is loyal to their school, Twily and I being the main exceptions" 'Sunset added. "The one thing that students dislike more than being outdone, is someone apparently turning their backs on Crystal Prep, because they are afraid that it might spoil their reputation of wining almost every competition that they enter." 'Sunset' turned to look at the Rainbooms. "You girls are right in the fact that Canterlot High has never beaten Crystal Prep in the Equestrian Games. In truth, Crystal Prep has almost never lost a competition, but the few exceptions have all had one thing in common. All the winners had connections to former students or teachers at Crystal Prep. This makes Shadowbolts value loyalty to their school above almost everything else."

"Wow, I can definitely see why the Crystal Prep students would get so worked up when they learned Sunset was with the Wondercolts" Twilight said, her eyes wide.

"And it's only going to get worse for Sunset, believe me" 'Sunset' sighed. "My twin has no idea what's going on, and she's gonna be facing a storm of flack from my fellow classmates. This could cause her to become distracted, or worse. I think we should tell her the truth."

"WHAT?" 'Pinkie' exclaimed, startling everyone else. "We can't do that!"

"She's right" Pinkie added. "We can't just spoil the surprise!"

"I know, and I don't like it either, but if we don't tell Sunset _something..."_ 'Sunset' snuck a glance at the door, "...who knows what other nasty surprises she might have to deal with?"

* * *

 **Meanwhile, in the Hallway...**

Sunset fought to keep her face expressionless as she leaned against the wall, gazing into Vice Principal Luna's cool blue eyes "So... what did you want to talk to me about?"

The Vice Principal gazed back at her a moment before responding. "I just wanted to ensure that you were not too put off by what happened earlier with Professor Sunburst." She said finally.

"Oh, it's no big deal. It's not like he actually hurt me" Sunset shook her head, feeling relieved. She had thought that the Vice Principal had found out that she had ponied up in front of the visiting students. "Though, I would like to know why he hugged me like that."

The corner of Vice Principal Luna's mouth curved up into a small smile. "Yes, funny story behind that."

"What do you mean?" sunset aside, raising an eyebrow.

Vice Principal Luna bent down and spoke to Sunset in a low voice. "Sunset, have you heard from your twin lately?" She asked.

Sunset blinked. "My twin...no, why?"

"Well, apparently Professor Sunburst, the man who hugged you, is your human twin's father" Luna continued.

"WHAT?" Sunset's eyes widened.

Vice Principal Luna nodded. "Not only that, but it appears that your twin is a former Crystal Prep student, as is Twilight's twin, apparently."

"So _that's_ why all the Crystal Prep students were looking at me that way" Pieces were starting to come together for Sunset. "They thought I was her!"

Luna nodded again. "Yes, and unfortunately, some of them still do. We managed to convince Principal Cinch and the rest of the staff that you are not who they think you are. At least…I think we did" Sunset noted the uncertainty in the woman's voice. "But, many of the students remain unconvinced. I'm not sure exactly what your twin did while she was a student at Crystal Prep, but many of the current students hold her in a very negative viewpoint." Luna paused as if she was carefully considering her next words. "Knowing this, Sunset, do you still wish to compete in the Equestrian Games? If you feel uncomfortable about all this, we would understand if you decided not to. There would be no shame in pulling out now."

Sunset pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I still want to compete"

Vice Principal Luna looked surprised. "Are you certain about this?" She asked. "Crystal Prep has a reputation of…doing whatever it takes to win. Principal Cinch has already tried to use your resemblance to the human Sunset to accuse us of cheating, claiming that seeking help from former Shadowbolts was against the rules." An annoyed expression crossed the vice principal's face as she spoke. "Though personally I fail to see how that rule holds, since neither your twin nor Twilight's twin has ever competed in the games, but Principal Cinch was persistent. It took a call to Miss Cadence to confirm that you weren't your twin."

"I see" Sunset's eyes widened. Sunset hadn't seen Miss Cadence since Imitae's attack on the school months ago, but she had heard that the woman had since departed from the legal firm she had been working at and had accepted a position in City Hall, putting her in charge of city records.

"I probably shouldn't be saying this" Luna glanced around to make sure they were alone. "But, there's another reason you might want to consider pulling out. Principal Cinch has a…reputation of wanting to win…at _any_ cost. There have been rumors, unproven mind you, that she is perfectly willing to look the other way when questionable activities are occurring. Considering how the Crystal Prep students reacted to you earlier, I'm worried that one of them might try something, and if they do, I don't think I, or my sister, would be able to stop them, and the last thing either of us want is to see you get hurt, Sunset Shimmer. No victory is worth risking the safety of one of our students."

Sunset was stunned. She had no idea that Vice Principal Luna cared for her safety this much. Usually it was Principal Celestia who put on a caring face, while Luna had remained somewhat aloof and distant. Sunset felt herself smile at the Vice Principal's words.

Sunset pondered for a moment. True, withdrawing from the Games would be easier, especially since all the Crystal Prep students seemed to think that Sunset was her human twin, and it would give her more time to focus on containing the magic that was popping up at CHS.

But, Sunset was also a loyal Wondercolt, and she had been dreaming of this particular competition for weeks. She was quite proud of how academically advanced and athletically skilled she was in this new world and she desperately wanted to use her intelligence and athleticism to help Canterlot High win its first ever victory. If nothing else, it would help boost the feelings of trust she had been working so hard to build with the students she had once tormented mercilessly.

"Thanks for your concern, Vice Principal Luna, but I'm still going to compete" She said after a moment.

The vice principal looked surprised. "Are you certain about this? You _do_ understand what you'll have to deal with if you decide to continue."

Sunset nodded. "What happened at Crystal Prep is my twins' problem, not mine" She said, wondering why her twin had never mentioned that she was a former Shadowbolt. "If the Crystal Prep students are too stupid to see that I'm not her, that's their fault" Sunset felt a twinge of guilt for saying this, but it was the truth.

The Vice Principal's mouth appeared to smile, but Sunset blinked and the expression was gone.

"Very well then." She turned to leave, but then paused. "By the way, have you had any success in identifying and containing CHS's magic?

Sunset winced. She had been hoping to avoid that topic. "I'm…" For a moment, she was tempted to blurt out the truth, that she had no idea what triggered the magic in her and her friends and that she had no idea how to control it, but seeing the look on the Vice Principals face, she paused. "I'm…making progress" She said finally, giving a nervous smile.

Vice Principal Luna raised an eyebrow, but fortunately, did not press for more details. "Well, since you are still going to compete, I'm afraid that you're going to have to be extra vigilant in your efforts to contain the magic apparent in you and your friends. We already know that Principal Cinch is perfectly eager to twist details around to suit her cause. An uncontrolled display of magic is just the kind of thing she could take advantage of."

"I'll do my best" Sunset promised, though she felt uneasiness prickle in her gut.

Vice Principal Luna nodded. "Then I am off to tell my sister that our team's roster will remain unchanged. The opening Ceremony begins in a half-hour, you should tell your friends to get ready."

Sunset nodded as Luna turned away and headed back down the corridor. When the woman was out of sight, Sunset leaned against the locker behind her, wondering if she'd done the right thing.

* * *

"They've been talking for a while" 'Fluttershy' commented as she gazed at the door.

"I hope everything's okay" 'Sunset' added, looking worried.

"Oh don't be silly, I'm certain she's perfectly fine!" 'Rarity' scoffed at the girl's concern.

No sooner had she said that when the door suddenly opened and Sunset came back in, looking a little winded. 'Sunset' quickly morphed her face back into an uninterested sneer.

"Sunset, you okay?" 'Applejack' asked as the girl closed the door and leaned against it.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sunset smiled at them, straightening her posture. But her voice betrayed her anxiety.

"What did Vice-Principal Luna want to talk about?" 'Rainbow Dash' asked after exchanging a glance with both her twin and Twilight.

Sunset noticed the looks, and her smile faded. "Oh, she just wanted to see if I was making any progress in the...special assignment she gave me"

"You mean the one where she asked you to keep magic away from the Equestrian Games?" 'Pinkie said', causing Sunset to grimace. Now there was no way she could hide anything from the visiting students.

"Yeah Pinkie, that one" She groaned. "Unfortunately, I didn't have much to tell her."

"Aw, you'll figure it out" 'Rainbow Dash' said.

"She's right" Twilight spoke up in her 'Crystal' voice. "From what we've been hearing, it seems like if there's anyone who can get to the bottom of what's been going on, it's you, Sunset"

Sunset blushed, humbled by Twilight's unexpected praise.

"And while Sunset works on what to keep _out_ of the Equestrian games, _I've_ been working on what to put _in_ to them!" 'Rarity' said, looking rather smug.

The Rainbooms exchanged uneasy looks, while Twilight and her friends exchanged curious looks.

"Rarity, what did you go and do?" 'Applejack' finally asked.

"Well... I had a _little_ time on my hands" 'Rarity' suddenly moved in a blur, pulling out dressing racks seemingly from nowhere, each of which was lined with nearly every kind of outfit imaginable, from a British policeman's uniform to an outfit resembling a cowgirl's dress. There was even swimwear, though several of the pieces made Sunset cringe a little at the thought of wearing them in public. "And since we _don't_ know what the events are" 'Rarity' suddenly approached 'Rainbow Dash' with something draped over her arm, causing the girl to move backwards uneasily. "I made a few options for uniforms!" 'Rarity' snapped her fingers and a screen suddenly appeared around 'Rainbow Dash'.

"Yow! Hey! What the...?" The girl yelped as Rarity tossed the outfit in. A few seconds later, the screen suddenly retracted.

"Cool! Split-second changing!" Pinkie chirped as Rainbow Dash looked down at her new outfit, which consisted of a white polo shirt with navy blue lining that matched the thigh-length athletic shorts and calf-length socks she was wearing. White sneakers and rainbow-colored bands on her wrists completed the ensemble.

"You...really didn't have to do that" 'Rainbow' said, looking a little embarrassed at being turned into a model.

"I know" 'Rarity' replied smugly.

"No, you _really_ didn't have to" 'Applejack' said, picking up two dresses from a rack. She stared at them as if they might suddenly come alive and bite her.

" _I know!"_ 'Rarity' squealed happily, giggling. She then snapped her fingers again and multiple screens suddenly unfolded from the racks.

"Simply magnificent!" Rarity squealed in delight as she rushed to try on an outfit.

"Not really the words Ah'd use" Applejack rolled her eyes, while Rainbow Dash shook her head sadly.

At the urging of both Rarities, each of the girls soon found themselves wearing new outfits, each of which had a certain theme behind them. 'Rarity' moved from girl to girl, making adjustments or suggesting changes.

"Uh Rarity, these outifts are great n all, but why would ya put so much energy into clothes we might not even be wearin'?" 'Applejack' said finally, as 'Rarity' pulled up 'Applejack's' new shirt an inch, exposing the girl's midriff.

"Applejack's right, Rarity" Sunset agreed, lifting up the welding mask she was wearing. "You're going to exhaust yourself before the games even start"

"Oh, don't be silly darling" 'Rarity' said as she placed a dress back on the rack. "Putting effort into clothing is what I live for!" She turned to face them, her eyes shining. "And spending time on my friends, both old _and_ new, it fills me with such energy!" As 'Rarity' finished speaking, her body was suddenly haloed in purple and she lifted off the floor.

"Ooohh! It's happening again!" Pinkie squealed.

Everyon turned to watch as Rarity ponied up right in front of their eyes, twirling gracefully in midair as she grew pony ears and a purple tail. To everyone's amazement, an ivory colored horn also sprouted out from Rarity's forehead.

"That's new" Twilight heard her twin mutter.

"What is?" Twilight whispered as Rarity floated higher.

"The horn. She's never gotten one before when she ponied up" 'Twilight' replied.

Twilight frowned, considering this new information. Her twin had a point. Before, the Rainbooms had just grown ears and tails when they ponied up. This was the first time she had seen any of them grow a horn.

 _No, wait_! Twilight corrected herself. That wasn't true! When they had been battling Imitae, both 'Twilight' and 'Sunset' had grown horns when they transformed, in addition to the other pony features. Twilight had thought it was due to the power of the Star Stone, but now...

Twilight turned to look at Rarity, who was watching her twin with a look of utter glee on her face. _I wonder if the fact that there are two Rarities now has anything to do with this_ , she pondered. After what 'Sunset' and 'Twilight' had theorized about the magical imbalance caused by there being two counterparts in the same dimension, Twilight's new idea seemed to make a lot of sense.

* * *

 **Outside in the hallway:**

Sunny Flare glanced around wildly as she walked down the deserted hallway. She had only looked away for a second, and in that time Sunset Shimmer had vanished!

 _Urgh! She had been right here a second ago!_ She growled, banging her hand on a locker. _Where'd she go?_

Sunny paused as she heard a beeping coming from her scanner. She held it out in her hand. The bar of light on the outer shell spun around once, then spun to point towards a large door on her left.

Sunny started towards the door. The closer she got to it, the louder the beeping became and the brighter the light got.

 _Well, I may have lost Sunset, but it appears I've found something just as important._ Sunny grinned as she paused before the door. _Now, how do you take a reading again?_

Sunny Flare held up the scanner and ran her hands along the edge. Suddenly the scanner's lip popper open, revealing a hollow chamber.

"Huh?" Sunny blinked in surprise, then gasped as something else caught her attention. A shimmering purple mist was seeping out from the door in front of her and was beginning to collect inside the scanner.

"Rarity!" Sunny's eyes snapped up as she herd Sunset's voice coming from behind the door. "Try to control it, we can't let any of the Crystal Prep students see you like this!"

Curious now, Sunny Flare slowly cracked the door open, and gasped. The purple mist was coming from a girl about her age, _who was floating in the air!_

 _What in the world?_ Sunny felt her jaw drop as she saw the beautiful girl pirouette in mid-air. Sunset suddenly appeared, grasping the girl's ankle and trying to pull her back down.

"Oh pish-posh, you worry too much Sunset! There is no way any C _rystal Preppers_ could see us in here!" The floating girl laughed as she resisted Sunset's attempts to bring her down.

Sunny Flare narrowed her eyes at the girl's expression. _Looks like Starlight was right all along. Canterlot High **is** up to something!_ She thought angrily. _And so is Sunset, apparently._ Sunny's scowl deepened as she glared at the former Shadowbolt. _Traitor!_

Sunny's thoughts were suddenly disrupted by a faint beep from her scanner. She looked down to see the purple mist was flowing into the device much faster.

"Rarity, what's happening?" Sunset's voice made her look up. The girl was slowly floating down to the floor, the purple glow around her was fading. Sunny Flare could now see Sunset holding her by the shoulder, looking _very_ concerned.

"I-I'm not exactly sure" Rarity said, her voice was heavy, as if she was suddenly exhausted. "But, all of a sudden, I feel...somewhat...tired" Without warning the girl suddenly collapsed in Sunset's arms.

"Rarity!" As multiple girls all gathered around Sunset and Rarity, Sunny Flare saw the last of the purple mist flow into her scanner, collecting in the center. The device suddenly closed with a _click!_

"What was that?" Sunny tensed as a voice suddenly spoke from right behind the door

"What was what?" another voice said, sounding annoyed

"I thought I heard something, outside the door" Sunny Flare leapt to her feet in a panic.

"Let's have a look" Sunny's heart raced as she bolted back down the hallway as fast as she could, but she heard the door open behind her and knew there was no way she could reach the corner without being seen. Spotting an open locker nearby, she lunged for it, stuffed herself inside, and closed the door almost all the way.

Sunny Flare held her breath as footsteps echoed in the cramped locker interior, and tried her best to ignore the smell of dirty socks that assaulted her nose.

"You see anything?" She heard a girl's voice, sharp and authoritative, speak out.

"No, but I could have sworn I heard footsteps running away just before we left the room" Another girl's voice, this one more timid, replied.

Sunny Flare jumped as a loud bang echoed in her hiding place. It sounded like one of the girls had slammed her hand against a nearby locker door. "You think someone was watching us?" The first voice asked.

"Probably" Sunny heard a third voice, this one vaguely familiar, speak. "You think it was a Shadowbolt?"

"Oh, I hope not" Sunny could hear terror in the second girl's voice. "If Crystal Prep finds out about the magic that's loose here, it's _not_ gonna be pretty"

 _Magic?_ Sunny Flare blinked. Was _that_ what she had seen in that room, some kind of magical effect?

 _Wait, what am I thinking? Magic isn't real!_ Sunny Flare shook her hear, trying to dispel the thought, but how else could she explain a glowing girl floating in mid-air?

"All the more reason to keep this under wraps. That's why we disguised ourselves in the first place, remember?" The first voice replied. There was a pause. "Did anyone else hear that noise?"

"I don't think so, just the three of us" The second voice said.

"Good, let's keep it to ourselves for now, and keep an eye on the Crystal Prep kids." The third voice growled. "The last thing Sunset needs is more grief"

"I agree" the second girl said. "It's bad enough that they think she's you"

"I know." The first voice spoke with a surprising amount of regret in her voice.

 _What are they_ _talking about?_ Sunny Flare's eyes widened and she peaked through the slits in the locker door. She saw a girl with flame-colored hair, a girl with pink hair, and a girl with blue hair standing in the hall. The red-haired and pink-haired girls looked annoyed, the blue-haired girl looked nervous.

"Come on, we'd better get back to the others" Sunny Flare sighed with relief as she heard the three girls walk back down the hallway. Still, she waited until she heard the door close before extracting herself from the locker.

"Whew!" Sunny Flare fanned the dirty sock vapors away from her nose before breathing clean air. But then she froze as she heard footsteps from down the hall, heading in her direction.

 _Magic? Disguises? What is going on here?_ Sunny Flare's mind whirred as she headed back down towards the staircase that lead towards the front doors.

* * *

 **Meanwhile:**

"Rarity! Speak to us!" Amethyst exclaimed as she held the unconscious girl under her arms.

Rarity suddenly groaned and blinked open her eyes, causing everyone to sigh with relief.

"Are you okay?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Hey! That's what _I_ was gonna say!" Cotton Candy pouted, which caused several girls to roll their eyes.

"I...I think so" Rarity said, rising to a sitting position with a groan. "I'm not exactly sure what just happened. It seemed like the magic just...drained out of me right after Sunset grabbed me"

"Really?" More than one girl turned to look at Sunset, who felt her face heat up.

 _Why are they looking at me like that?_ Sunset thought to herself. _I didn't do anything!_

 _"That's not what **they** seem to think!"_ Sunspot responded with an evil chuckle. Sunset shook her head in an effort to block out the demon's voice.

"Sunset?" Sunset turned to see Cirrus, Crystal and Scarlett walk back into the room. "Are you okay?" Cirrus asked.

"Yeah, you seem kind of, like, tense" Scarlett added, making Sunset grit her teeth.

"I'm fine" Sunset said firmly, but traces of panic were evident in her voice "Where did you three go?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

The three girls glanced at each other. "We...thought we heard someone outside." Cirrus said finally. "Like a click, or something. We wanted to make sure that there wasn't anyone spying on you"

"And...was there anyone out there?" Gray Light asked.

Sunset felt the entire room tense up. She held her breath. If someone _had_ been out there, then her mission to conceal CHS's magic would truly have been a failure.

Crystal grinned and shook her head. "Nope, we didn't see anyone" She said and the entire room seemed to relax.

"Thank goodness" Sunset muttered, leaning against the wall.

For a moment, there was silence in the room. "So… do you girls have any idea what the events are going to be for the Equestrian Games?" Crystal finally broke the silence.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Nope. For all the wheeling and dealing we've been trying to do, none of the teachers are saying anything about the events"

"Well, it's probably for the best" Cirrus shrugged her shoulders. "You wouldn't want the Crystal Prep students to accuse you of having an unfair advantage" She and Scarlett exchanged a look. Both girl's faces sported equal grimaces.

"Cirrus is right" Scarlett added. "I mean they're like totally gonna start screaming fraud if they see any of this freaky magic pop up around the school right? So it's, like, probably better not to give them any more ammunition, you know?"

"Scarlet!" 'Amethyst' scolded as Sunset winced at the girl's words.

"What?" Scarlet shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just saying it like it is. Personally, I think Sunset's looking at this situation the wrong way" She said, studying her nails.

"Oh really?" Sunset straightened up from the wall. She was starting to lose her patience with Scarlet's attitude. "And just how do _you_ think I should keep magic away from the Equestrian Games?"

"Well, for starters…' Scarlett replied, running fingers through her hair. "You could try taking _yourself_ out of the Games"

" _What?"_ Everyone exclaimed.

"Why would she do that?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Because, she's, like, the one responsible for dealing with the magic here, right?" Scarlett explained. "Personally, if I were her, then that is something that I would totally give my _full_ attention to. It seems a little more important that she figure this out, than by competing in…intermural sports." Scarlet paused as she realized that the Rainbooms were giving her dark looks. "Like, no offense, or anything"

"None taken" Applejack growled.

"But if Sunset removes herself from the Games, then how can she help us win?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You _do_ want us to win, don't you Sunset?"

Everyone looked at Sunset.

"Of course, I want CHS to win" Sunset said, feeling a little hurt that Rainbow Dash would call her out like that. And she was telling the truth. Sunset _was_ a Wondercolt, through and through. But Scarlett's words, harsh as they were, made sense too. The magic over here was so _frustrating!_ Sunset's studies had hit a solid dead end, even with the use of her twin's lab, she felt like she was going in circles.

Sunset paused as a thought struck her. _Her Twin!_ Why hadn't she thought of that before? Her twin, and Twilight's twin, had shared multiple theories with her in the past as to how the magic here was supposed to work, though none of them had been proven. Maybe they could help her figure out some way contain it now!

Sunset's smile suddenly faded when she remembered Vice-Principal Luna's words. If her twin was a former Shadowbolt, would she be willing to help Sunset hide magic from her old school?

 _"Ooooh, good question"_ Sunspot chuckled. " _Can you **really** trust your 'sister'?"_

Sunset frowned at Sunspot's words. Despite her twin's apparent decision to withhold the fact she was a Crystal Prep alumnus, Sunset had always felt like she could trust her counterpart. She had told her twin secrets that she hadn't told anyone else. They had had long discussions about the differences between Equestria and the human world, and Sunset had always left these talks feeling content. But could she still count on her twin, even after finding out that she had been keeping secrets from Sunset?

There was only one way to find out. Sunset had to call her right away!

"Sunset? Hellooo!" Sunset blinked, then darted backwards because Pinkie Pie was literally face-to-face with her. "Are you in there?"

"Yeah, sorry, but I just remembered something important I need to do" Sunset smiled at her friends as she moved towards the door. "Excuse me for a moment" With that, Sunset darted out of the door.

* * *

"What was _that_ all about?" Rarity asked after Sunset had closed the door.

"I'm not sure." Her twin admitted. "But did you all see that gleam in her eye?"

The rest of the Rainbooms nodded. "Whenever that light comes on in sunset's head, look out, cause something's cookin' up there!" 'Applejack' grinned.

Twilight smiled, then paused as she saw 'Sunset' pull out her phone, which was buzzing. She gazed at the screen, and gasped.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Sunset's trying to call me" 'Sunset' replied, holding out her phone so the caller ID was visible.

"DON'T ANSWER IT!" both Pinkies yelled, startling Sunset so much she dropped her phone.

"Pinkie, calm down" Twilight soothed as 'Sunset knelt to retrieve her phone. "Both of you"

"Oop!" 'Twilight's yelped and pulled her own phone from her skirt pocket. "Now Sunset's trying to call _me!"_

"DON'T…!"

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna answer it" 'Twilight shushed the Pinkies as she switched her phone off. "See?" She said.

"So this is Sunset's _important thing_ _?_ " 'Rainbow Dash' said. "Calling her twin?"

'Sunset' turned to look at Rainbow Dash, an annoyed expression on her face. "Well, why not? It's a logical course of action. Sunset, Twily, and I have spent the last few months examining Equestrian magic any chance we get. We've already developed several theories as to the reasoning behind your transformations"

"Such as…?" Twilight looked up at them.

'Sunset' started to answer, but paused as her phone vibrated again. She glanced down at the screen, and her expression morphed into one of concern. "Um...Twily can tell you about them" She said as she started towards the door.

"Where are you going?" 'Twilight' called.

'Sunset' paused, then turned back to the girls. "I'm going to talk to Sunset." Seeing the expressions on the other girl's faces, she quickly added "I know that we promised to keep her in the dark about the party, but I just feel like we need to tell her _something_. She's really confused, it's stressing her out, I can tell." She held up her phone for emphasis. There was a text message on it. The girl's couldn't see the words, but based on the look on 'Sunset's face, it probably wasn't a good message.

Twilight's memory flashed back to the message that she had received from 'Sunset' in her journal. "You think she's stressed out about being unable to figure out how magic works in this world?" She asked.

"That's one thing, but also, remember how Twily was reacting when everyone thought she was you?"

Twilight winced, then glanced at her twin, who looked at the floor. She nodded.

"Well, I think Sunset's going through a similar thing right now." 'Sunset' explained. "Take her frustration of not being able to work out the magic that _she_ brought here from your world, add the stress of competing in a competition, _and_ the confusion she must be going through with the Crystal Prep students thinking she's me, and you've got a pot just waiting to boil over"

'Twilight' nodded sadly. "Sunny's right, that kind of stress is _not_ healthy for a person, even if that person is a unicorn." 'Twilight' winked at her twin who rolled her eyes in response. "Plus, it will only serve as a distraction when Sunset is competing in the games. I'm sure you girls want Sunset to be at her very best for the competition, right?"

The Rainbooms nodded. "Well, she won't be in any shape to help you win if we don't do something to help her" 'Twilight' continued

Twilight thought for a moment. She wanted to keep the surprise, but the girl's argument was a good one, and the last thing she wanted was to see Sunset in pain. Finally, she nodded. "You're right. Sunset should know, before she breaks under the strain of what's happening. You'd better go tell her" she said to 'Sunset'.

"Awwww!" Both Pinkie's moped.

'Sunset' giggled. "Relax, I'm not gonna tell her _everything_. Just about me and Twily being in disguise. If Sunset knows that she's not alone in facing this problem, it'll help take some of the pressure off."

"Makes sense" Rarity nodded.

"But then, how are you going to explain the rest of us bein' here?" Applejack tilted her head.

'Sunset' shrugged. "I'll just tell her that I hacked into the academic program's listings and added mine and Twily's to the list under our false names. Remember how Sunrise was from another group in the program? Well, we'll just tell Sunset the same thing. We'll say that this way, we could come and watch the competition without drawing suspicion"

'Twilight's eyes lit up. "Hey! That's a pretty good idea!"

'Sunset' smirked. "I know, right, it's like totally brill!" she said in her Scarlett voice, making the girls giggle. With that, 'Sunset' turned and darted out the door after her twin.

* * *

 _Come on girls, don't leave me hanging now!_ Sunset thought as she headed down the hall. She dialed her twin's number again, but the call went to voicemail. She dialed the number of Twilight's twin again, but got voicemail as well.

 _Hmm, that's weird. It's not like **both** of them to have their cell phones off._ She tried calling the lab landline, but got no answer. _Maybe Imitae knows where they are._ Sunset tried calling Imitae's new cell phone, but got voicemail as well.

Confused now, Sunset tried calling Adagio, then Aria, and then finally Sonata. All three calls went unanswered.

 _Okay, six calls **all** straight to voicemail? Something's not right here"_ Sunset was beginning to worry. _Maybe it's a signal problem._

 _"Or maybe the problem is that they just don't want to hear from you right now"_ Sunspot jabbed " _Can't say I blame them"_

Sunset scowled as she opened the front doors of the school and stepped out onto the lawn, but refused to give Sunspot the satisfaction of an answer.

Hearing voices in front of her, Sunset suddenly tensed as she remembered the encounter from before, with that Starlight Glimmer girl. To her relief however, the lawn was mostly empty, as the majority of the Crystal Prep students had already gone inside the school, leaving a few stragglers scattered around the front lawn and what looked like a small group of girls clustered around the far side of the Wondercolt statue.

Sunset pulled out the magical journal and quickly scanned the pages. "Uh, still no reply from Twilight either" She groaned, closing the book.

 _"Gee, that's encouraging. Maybe the 'great and powerful' Princess Twilight doesn't want to talk to you either"_ Sunset clenched her hand into a fist at Sunspot's words.

"You know I've had just about enough of you" Sunset growled in response, closing the book. "Why don't you leave me alone?"

" _Can't do it, Sunset"_ Sunset could hear triumph in Sunspot's voice. " _I'm a part of you, remember? The **best** part. **I'm** not going anywhere!"_

Sunset suddenly stiffened, then smiled as another great idea came to her. "Fine, then I guess _I'll_ have to go somewhere"

Sunset's smile widened when she felt a flare of uneasiness from Sunspot. _"What are you talking about? What are you going to do?"_ She asked.

* * *

 _"_ And that's what happened" Sunny Flare had just finished explaining what she had seen to her classmates.

"Really? A Canterlot High student was _floating_ in midair?" Indigo Zap snorted in disbelief.

"I'm telling you, that's what I saw!" Sunny exclaimed. "And I also heard them talking about some kind of magic, and that they're trying to hide it from us! Principal Cinch was right, CHS is definitely up to something, and I'm _pretty_ sure it isn't within regulations!"

Starlight blinked, surprised. Sunny Flare did have a head for creating gossip, but this seemed a little far-fetched even for _her._ "Did you manage to get a reading? "She asked.

Sunny Flare sighed. "Yes, Starlight, I managed to get a reading." She growled through pursed lips, tapping the scanner that hung from her neck. "But that's not important right now!"

"Give it a rest, will you?" Sugarcoat snapped. "We all want to beat Canterlot High, you don't have to make up wild stories to get us motivated"

Sunny Flare's jaw dropped, then her eyes narrowed. "I am **not** making this up!" She exclaimed, stamping her foot.

"I believe you Sunny" Sour Sweet said sweetly, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. Then her face grew hard "Even though you sound completely ridiculous right now" she added.

Sunny Flare's face went from normal to red faster than a traffic light. "Oh who asked you, two-face?!" She exclaimed, shoving Sour Sweet, who fell into Starlight Glimmer, who fell to the ground.

"Ow! Hey, watch it!" Starlight exclaimed, then paused as the scanner around her neck beeped and started to glow.

"Hmmm" Starlight looked up at the other girls, who were still debating with Sunny Flare. _This shouldn't take long_ , she reasoned and turned back towards the school.

* * *

 _"_ If Twilight won't respond to me literally, then I'll just have to ask her physically" Sunset smiled as she headed down the school steps towards the Wondercolt statue.

" _Wait! You're gonna go to Equestria, **now**?"_ Sunspot sounded genuinely surprised. "Y _ou're actually going to abandon your school **and** your friends?"_ Sunset frowned as her inner demon's voice morphed from surprised to triumphant.

"Oh, I'm not abandoning anyone" Sunset said as she crossed the lawn towards the portal base. "I'm just gonna pop by Twilight's castle for a few minutes to see if she can give me any idea on how to deal with these magical incidents, and with _you_ " Sunset smirked as she felt a twinge of fear from Sunspot.

" _You wouldn't!"_ Sunspot hissed as Sunset climbed the steps to the statue. _"I'm a part of you, you need me!"_

Sunset chuckled darkly as she reached for the portal entrance in the statue's base. "Oh, I don't think so" She said.

* * *

"Hmm, that's strange" Starlight scratched her head as she stared down at her scanner. "The readings seem to be strongest from this statue" Starlight tilted her head back to gaze up at the rearing stallion. She had heard that the CHS students referred to it as a 'Wondercolt'. Starlight smirked. _Wondercolt? What kind of name is that?_ She thought.

An audible _'click_ made Starlight look down to see that the top of her scanner had opened, revealing a hollow center. "What the...?" Starlight's eyes widened. She didn't know the scanner could do that!

Before Starlight's eyes, the scanner seemed to lift up of its own accord and move towards the base of the statue.

* * *

" _Stop! NO!"_ Sunspot shrieked as Sunset reached for the portal. _"You can't do this!"_

Sunset couldn't help smiling at her demon's terror-induced ranting. "Oh no? Just watch me." Sunset placed her hand upon the statue's base.

Sunset gasped. Instead of passing through the marble into the multicolored vortex of the portal, Sunset felt her hand rest upon burning hot stone. A ring of fiery light surrounded her hand.

"What the…?" Sunset yelped and tried to pull away, but her hand now seemed glued to the stone. "Hey! Let go!" The journal fell from her free hand as she tried to use it to pull her hand free, to no avail. Without thinking, she placed her other hand against the base, only for another fiery ring to appear and for that hand to become stuck as well.

 _What's happening?_ Sunset's wind whirred as she struggled to pull herself free from the statue.

* * *

Starlight gasped as a shimmering red vapor seemed to pour out of the statue's base towards her. The trail of red swirled in the air before condensing in the center of Starlight's open scanner.

"This is incredible!" She breathed, awestruck. She yelped as her scanner suddenly began to spark with energy. The scanner was suddenly yanked towards the stature, tugging uncomfortably against Starlight's neck, pulling her along awkwardly behind it. Gritting her teeth, Starlight clasped her hand upon her scanner's lid and tried to close it. She felt resistance, and pressed harder.

With a _crack_ the lid slammed shut, and Starlight was flung backwards, landing on the grass.

"Ahh!" Starlight heard a cry and looked up to see a girl with red-and-yellow hair laying on the grass on the opposite side of the statue. A girl with _very familiar_ red-and-yellow hair.

"You!" Starlight's eyes narrowed at her former best friend.

* * *

"You!" An angry voice cut through the sudden layers of fatigue that fogged Sunset Shimmer's mind, bringing her back to awareness. She rubbed her forehead and slowly opened her eyes.

A girl in a Crystal Prep uniform was glaring at her from where she lay at the opposite side of the statue's base. It was Starlight Glimmer, the girl who seemed to know Sunset.

As Sunset took in the angry girl's gaze, her own gaze was drawn to the girl's neck, where a pendent-shaped device was hanging. The device was glowing and sparking with energy.

Sunset's eyes widened as she felt a familiar tug towards the device. Somehow, she knew that it was responsible for what had just happened.

"Wh-what did you just do?" Sunset demanded, struggling to her feet, only to almost fall over again. Her body suddenly felt heavy and sluggish, but she quickly got over it and struggled to her feet.

* * *

Starlight blinked in surprise at Sunset's reaction. The girl didn't look angry or annoyed at all to see her. She looked...confused, and maybe a little scared.

Starlight felt a sudden wave of pity flow through her as Sunset suddenly groaned, her legs appears to buckle and the girl leaned heavily against the base of the statue, like she was about to throw up. Unconsciously, Starlight reached out towards her old friend.

Sunset looked up again. "Answer me! What did you do?" She demanded again, and this time Starlight caught both fear and a hint of anger in the girl's voice.

Starlight paused, then retracted her hand. What _was_ she doing? Sunset wasn't her friend anymore! She hadn't been for a long time! Still, the feeling of pity she had for Sunset remained, twisting in her belly as she watched the girl struggle to remain upright.

"Hey! What's it to you?" Starlight looked up to see the other Shadowbolts coming in between her and Sunset.

"Yeah, Starlight doesn't have to explain herself to the likes of _you_ , traitor!" Lemon Zest snapped.

Starlight blinked, confused, both by the sudden loyalty of her teammates and the apparently genuine confusion on Sunset's face as the girl stepped backwards, wobbling a little on her feet.

Lemon Zest turned and offered Starlight her hand. Mutely, Starlight accepted and was helped to her feet.

"You okay?" Sugarcoat asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Starlight nodded, brushing off her skirt.

"Good, we don't want to be losing teammates unnecessarily" Sugarcoat said.

Starlight scowled. So _that_ was why they were defending her! Not because they actually _cared_ about Starlight, but because they didn't want to be at a disadvantage in the upcoming competition! For a moment, Starlight felt a surge of anger towards her teammates, but those emotions faded when she glanced again at a _very_ confused Sunset, who was now looking from angry face to angry face.

" _There_ you all are!" A deep voice barked. Everyone looked up so see Dean Sombra approaching. "I've been looking for you six. We're assembling in the gymnasium. Let's go! "

"Yes Dean Sombra" The six Shadowbolts chorused.

Dean Sombra nodded and turned to go back inside. As he passed sunset, he glanced at her. Starlight didn't see his face, but Sunset cringed as he passed. As the Shadowbolts followed him, each girl shot Sunset a dark look as they passed her. Indigo Zap went so far as to deliberately bump the girl with her elbow, sending her sprawling against the statue.

Starlight brought up the rear. As she passed, she tried to follow her classmates' example, but her anger turned to uncertainty as she saw genuine confusion and fear in Sunset's eyes.

 _The Sunset I remember_ _isn't THAT good an actress._ Starlight thought as she headed inside the school. N _o, that confusion she's showing has gotta be genuine, but how can that be?_ _What would cause Sunset to forget about us?_ Her memory replayed what Sunny Flare had been saying, about a girl floating in midair, and her own experience just now with the statue. _Maybe Sunny Flare was right._ _There's definitely something weird going on around here._ Starlight ran a finger along the scanner around her neck as she walked. It suddenly felt _a lot_ heavier, and she knew it wasn't because of whatever it was that it had captured.

* * *

 _What was **that** all about?_ Sunset wondered as she watched the Shadowbolts head into the school.

 _"Wow, you really have a weird effect on people"_ Sunspot chuckled.

Sunset scowled and turned back to the portal. "Very funny, but we'll see who's laughing when Princess Twilight gets her hooves on you _"_ , She growled as she reached out to the portal again...and felt her hand rest on cold stone.

" _What?_ " Sunset's eyes widened. She pushed against the stone, expecting it to give, but it didn't. ""Where's the portal?"" She gasped, running her hands along the statue's base.

" _Well, well, well"_ Sunspot cackled triumphantly. " _Looks like **you're** not going anywhere either!"_

"No, it can't be! Where's the portal?" Sunset felt herself start to panic as she desperately ran her hands along the statue's base, hoping, praying, that the portal would open up, but the base of the statue was cold stone, the magic inside of it was gone.

"'WHERE'S THE PORTAL?" Sunset screamed, pounding at the statue's base as Sunspot's laugh continued to ring inside her head.

* * *

 **And Cut!**

 **Whew! I deeply apologize not getting this chapter out sooner, but you try juggling classes, lab work, assignments, and a part time job with fiction writing! I'm reduced to writing in whatever free time I get now. It's not easy!** **Plus, I had to re-write this chapter three times before I was truly satisfied with it.**

 **As you can see, things are staring to get chaotic in this story. I bet Discord would love this kind of scenario! 'Twilight and 'Sunset' are Ex-Shadowbolts, Sunst has to deal with an entire school of people who mistake her for someone else, and on top of that, she now has the human Sunset's father watching her every move! (This was something I decided early on. Just _try_ to tell me that you don't see a similarity between those two in the series. Spoiler alert: I'm planning to include the human Sunset's mother later on in the story and there may or may not be a physical resemblance there as well).**

 **Don't worry if you can't keep it all straight right now. I'm the one writing this and even _I'm_ having difficulty keeping it all together. And things are only gonna get more complicated from here (another spoiler). Won't say much more at this point, wouldn't want to ruin the mood. **

**As I said, my writing time is somewhat limited right now, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be coming out. But be patient, I have EVERY intention of finishing this story.**

 **Until next time!**


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